


A Little Death

by Nico4undead



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Intimacy, Italian Mafia, Literary References & Allusions, M/M, Mafia AU, Murder, Psychological Torture, Solangelo angst, coffee shop AU, solangelo, solangelo fluff, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 39,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nico4undead/pseuds/Nico4undead
Summary: ~Will had no idea he could even fall for someone that quickly.~Falling in love is a beautiful thing. It leaves you feeling vulnerable, naive, but incredibly alive.Something sinister is lurking behind the ignored red flags and Nico will probably be the death of Will. But who doesn't like A little death?
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 10
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok! Here it is, I've been working on this for quite some time with the help of a dear friend of mine. It starts out quite tame and what seems to be the classic "Coffee Shop AU", but then things take a twist. Comments and constructive criticism are very welcome! Hope you enjoy ;)  
> (Also they are both around 24 for context)

Will’s heart fluttered as he saw Nico enter the café. He was a regular. Will didn't even have to look up to know who he was. The mysterious man arrived without fail, every morning at exactly 8 AM. Although most Starbucks employees were known for never getting the names right, it was a bit difficult to mess up a name as easy to spell as 'Nico'. Besides, Will had written that word so many times in the span of the last two years, that it was forever ingrained into his brain. The fact that the pale man was very good looking also helped him remember.

As the raven-haired man approached him, a serious, business-like expression on his flawless face, Will smiled involuntarily.

“Well, well, well… look who it is… Want the usual, Nico?” Will asked cheerily, earning a halfhearted eye roll and a slight smirk.

"Just give me my coffee and spare me the commentary,” Nico said with a slight Italian accent, but Will knew from the way his eyebrows arched in amusement, that he didn’t hate their little interaction as much as he let on.

• • •

"Here you go, with extra sugar this time, so that you won't have to take other's leftover sugar because you can’t admit you don't like your coffee as bitter as your soul," Will said sarcastically.

Nico opened his mouth to retort, but Will was already taking another customer’s order. He stood there a few seconds, gazing at the blond behind the register, before shaking out of his trance, grabbing the sugar packets begrudgingly, and heading out.

• • • 

Will was exhausted. He had stayed up until three o’clock studying anatomy. He hated his morning shifts, but there was one thing that always made them worth it.

Nico walked through the door of the cafe exactly on schedule at 8 o’clock, making Will chuckle a bit. He instantly felt awake, his senses heightened.

He watched as the man walked up to him, just like every day, in a fancy suit, his black hair falling into his dark brown eyes. Will found himself staring, his mouth slightly open as Nico approached him.

“Uh.. anyone there?” Nico asked, breaking Will out of his trance.

"Ugh...yeah...black coffee?" Will asked, embarrassed to have stared at him that long.

"I'll go for a macchiato," Nico said, grinning at the golden-haired boy.

"I see that you're experimenting. Took you two years, but It's never too late to go through the menu." Will said, smiling back as he took his order.

Nico smirked at Will.

“Well… since you put it like that, I’ll have a.. tall… blond roast. Seems like my type…” Nico said.

Nico's macchiato almost fell out of Will's hands, making Nico laugh once more, enjoying how flustered one innocent comment could make him.

Will handed him the coffee, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

Nico took it out of his hands, purposefully brushing his fingers against Will’s, sending electric currents down Will's spine, smiling at him casually before turning around and walking out.

Will sighed as his coworker walked in to begin her shift. 

"Why don't you just ask him out already? You've been flirting for a year and a half!” Kayla asked, tired of witnessing their interactions.

“Well… I never knew if he would be interested in me! Well… now maybe, but…” Will stuttered.

Kayla rolled her eyes.

“Seriously you are so dense. Also, if you don't do it before Friday, I'll lose my bet with Austin so you better, or I’ll do it for you,” Kayla announced, a deadly serious look in her eyes.

• • •

As Nico walked into the cafe once more, Will’s heart started racing in his chest. He could do this.

"So...What are you trying out this time?" Will asked.

“Hmmm… let me think…” Nico said flirtatiously. Kayla gagged in the background.

“I’ll have that macchiato again ” Nico answered.

"Don't you dare tell me you'll have that for the next two years..." Will joked, faking an irritated tone, making the pale man laugh.

"Who knows?" Nico said in a mysterious voice, making Will shiver. 

Before he could embarrass himself by doing something stupid, like blushing, Will turned to the coffee machines, preparing Nico’s drink.

As he put the lid on the cup, he hesitated. What if he didn't like him that way? The worst that could happen was for the shop to lose a regular customer, he thought to himself.

He took a deep breath, scribbling down his phone number and a small note. “In case you want to try that tall blond sometimes”

He handed Nico the cup, smiling nervously.

Nico took his drink, not noticing the note at first, then looking at it, confused. He read it and smiled.

“Well, look who finally got the hint,” Nico said, making Will's face turn red, again.

“Ummm...soo…?" He asked, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

Nico gave him one of his signature smirks.

“I’ll call you later, blondie.”


	2. Chapter 2

They walked side by side in the park, the colorful trees protecting them from the gentle October sun.

“So… coffee shop?” Nico asked plainly, looking over at Will, eyebrows slightly raised in curiosity.

"Yeah...it helps me pay my college tuition. " Will replied. He hated his tiring job. But it was worth it.

“Oh, you’re going to college? What are you studying?” Nico asked.

“Medicine… I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was really young. What about you? Judging by your wardrobe, I’d say you were some sort of businessman…” Will said.

Nico smiled to himself. “You could say that…” he said, a note of sarcasm in his voice. This just made Will want to know more.

They sat down on a bench, their breath foggy in the cold autumn air. Nico turned to look over at Will. Though Will had seen that face every day for the past two years, he never once allowed himself to really look at it, at least not as intently as now.  
Nico’s eyes were a dark soothing brown, wide as he looked back at Will, making him look not only extremely attractive but also incredibly adorable. His pale skin contrasted with his jet-black hair and his clearly visible cheekbones.  
Not to mention, his full pink lips, as if they were begging Will to kiss them and find out if they were as soft as they looked.

Nico looked back at Will with an expression of wonder, catching him staring at his lips. He scoffed a bit, making Will look away, suddenly very interested in a fallen leaf next to his feet.

"Tell me about yourself," Nico asked curiously as Will's face returned to its usual tanned skin tone.

"Well, not much to tell… I’m from Texas, and before you ask, no I’m not a cowboy. I moved to town 3 years ago to get to med school. I didn't know that many people, but I met my coworker Kayla at the university. She's such a pain in the ass sometimes..." Will said, laughing slightly. He remembered that he had doomed Austin to losing the bet they had with Kayla. He silently wondered if he was really that obvious about liking Nico…

"What about you?" Will asked, looking at the raven-haired man beside him, hesitating to put an arm around his shoulders.  
As he did so, Nico tensed up momentarily, before smiling softly and leaning on Will slightly.

“Well… I work in my dad’s… business…” Nico said. Will didn’t understand why he said the word like that but shrugged it off as Nico kept talking “I like coffee, books, and laying on the floor listening to emo music as I question the purpose of life at 3 AM,” Nico said jokingly.

“Sounds fun,” Will said sarcastically, he could honestly relate, college was so stressful…

"Indeed. Especially when your loud as fuck neighbors decide to have a party on a Thursday." 

Will winced and laughed. “I’d run in there and smack them upside the head if I wasn’t such a people pleaser” Will laughed. Really, he was pathetic, he never wanted to upset anyone, which ranged from keeping silent when he got the wrong order, to apologizing for other people’s rudeness.

"Even me, a people screwer, wouldn't mess with them," Nico instantly regretted what he said. Will looked at him, intrigued.

"They're bodybuilders." He muttered, hoping Will wouldn’t notice his shaky voice.

"Understandable. But aren't you a bit of a bodybuilder yourself?" Will joked. Actually, Nico had some muscles. But they weren't that noticeable due to his skinny frame.

Nico laughed. The conversation went on fluidly. It felt so comfortable and natural. Nico was really charming, but he could also make fun of himself. Didn't take himself too seriously, Will liked that a lot. He noticed that Nico's eyes kept darting around, but his smile seemed sincere. Will looked around, but there was nothing to be suspicious, just a few people enjoying the day in the park. Will told Nico about college and more of his friends' drunken party. Nico looked really intrigued. "So yeah, let's just say I'm not planning on ever trying weed again," Will said while Nico laughed. Will cleared his throat. "What about you? Even done something really stupid like that?" Nico scoffed. "Ha, I wish... It's always just been work with me... kinda lame, I know," he added when Will's eyes widened in shock. "No, no... you just, I don't know, you seem like the type of person who is all serious and stuff and the second someone gives you a shot, you're like a totally different person," Will said. Nico arched an eyebrow. "That's very specific..." he said with a small smile. Will waved his hand dismissingly. "Seriously though... Remind me to invite you sometimes." Nico snickered. "Though I would love to test your theory, I really can't. I could get into deep shit if people caught me smoking weed and all that college stuff." "Wow, that's strict... " Will said, furrowing his eyebrows. "But I respect that. That you're so dedicated to your job. Most people our age can't even get themselves to finish assignments on time." "Yeah, it's a bit m-" Nico said, but his phone rang in his pocket. He closed stood still, closing his eyes in obvious frustration to collect himself. He looked into Will's eyes, silently taking his phone out of his pocket. "I'm so sorry. It's work. I... I have to go, I’m really sorry," he said quietly. 

Will shook his head in understanding, a bit disappointed. Things were going really well...

"Of course," he said, not sure if he should hug him or not, definitely not kiss, even if he really wanted to. "Let me know when you wanna meet up again..." Will said, settling for an awkward little wave, earning a beautiful smile and a nod in response, as he turned around to leave.

• • •

Three hours after Will had gotten home, his phone rang. As he picked up, he heard Nico’s voice. He sounded distressed.  
“Hey Will… I’m sorry about earlier…” he said awkwardly, his usual charm washing away, replaced with a sort of desperate anxiousness.

“It’s fine,” Will said. He closed his eyes, not knowing if he should ask the next question. “Are you ok?” Will asked before he could stop himself, he bit his lip, cringing as Nico stayed silent on the other side for a few seconds. He could almost imagine him tensing up, like the med students when taken to the morgue for the first time. 

"It's nothing to worry about...I forgot that I had some work to do. I could've been fired if I didn't finish it."

Will knew it didn’t really add up. He worked at his father’s business, he surely wouldn’t fire his own son… also, Will remembered the way Nico’s eyes darted around, as if afraid he was being watched. What was up with that? He was about to call him out on it when Nico spoke once more.

“Will… I’m sorry… can we just… I’ll stop by the cafe tomorrow. I think I can spare a few minutes. I’m really sorry...”

Will still needed answers. But Nico's soft voice made him forget what were the questions he needed answers for.

"It's alright. Don't be late! And I swear if you take that macchiato again-" He started before Nico burst out laughing. It was the most amazing sound Will had ever heard, he felt himself getting giddy. What the hell was Nico doing to him?

"Please don't hurt me." Nico joked, faking a terrified voice.

Will smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll just make sure to make it so disgusting you'll never order it again,” Will joked, earning another laugh from the man.

"Fine. I'll just go back to my coffee." 

"DON'T YOU DARE," Will said dramatically, making Nico humm appreciatively, but just as he was about to answer, Will heard panicked voices from the other line. Nico answered them. Was he speaking... Spanish? Will couldn't tell.

He heard rustling and a few moments later, Nico was speaking to him in English once more.  
“Hey… sorry about that… I really have to go now. What about Friday at ten? Do you have morning classes?" He then asked nervously the panicked voices fading away. 

“Can't wait... Will I still see you tomorrow?” Will asked hopefully. Nico paused.

“I’ll try to work things out. Bye...for now…” Nico said, hanging up, leaving Will even more confused than before.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey, blondie.” Nico greeted Will, waiting outside the coffee shop for his shift to end.

"Hey, how have you been?" Will asked as he approached the shorter man with a smile on his face.

“Alright,” Nico said, not providing any further information. “You?”

“Okay I guess, didn’t fail an exam, so that’s always good…” he asked.

"Tell me about it, I swear I'll work myself to death one day," he said jokingly, but the tone of the last was a bit unsettling. 

Will looked at him sympathetically, it was obvious just how much Nico was overworked. “Well, I’m here to distract you from your worries, so what do you want to do?” Will asked cheerily.

“Well… you certainly are doing a good job distracting me, I’ll give you that,” Nico said, pushing him playfully.

Will laughed as they started walking down the street.

"So...My place, right?' Will asked awkwardly. 

Nico looked around nervously before relaxing a bit. “Uh… sure, yeah...”

Will had the temptation to ask him if he wasn't allowed to date or something but didn't want to be a jerk, so he kept silent about Nico's nervous glances. 

Nico looked over at him and gave him a bright smile, washing all of Will’s doubts away. “So, I’ll finally get to see the Solace residence huh?” he asked.

Will waved it off. "More like the Solace box. It’s not much… If you don't like it, maybe next time we could go to your palace." 

Nico laughed. “So you just assumed I’m loaded, didn’t you?” 

Will shrugged. “Why yes I did, and I’m not wrong, am I?”

“I’m sure I’ll love your place, don’t worry about it blondie,” he said shyly, avoiding Will’s question. 

• • •

Will opened the door to his tiny one-bedroom apartment.

"Well...As I said, it's not much. But It's better than nothing. I still would've liked it better if we went to your place" Will took his coat off, getting stares from the pale man. Will smiled in at him knowingly, making him look away.

Nico took off his suit and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Will gaped at his arms, covered in beautiful tattoos, stretching over his toned arms. Nico smirked at Will's surprised look.  
“Who’s staring now,” he whispered, making Will blush profusely. He muttered some nonsense before deciding that he better keep quiet instead of embarrassing himself even more.

Nico looked around the small apartment, smiling lightly.  
“I like it here. It’s so … warm… and homey... and intimate,” Nico said, a note of longing in his voice. Will wondered what Nico’s home looked like. It looked like Nico was in desperate need of some affection, despite his serious appearance.

"Yeah...If you don't mind accidentally hearing everything about your neighbor's lives… And I mean… everything'” Will said, cringing just at the thought.

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “Hmm… that’s a shame, that people can hear everything..." he said, moving a bit closer, looking up at Will innocently. 

Will opened and closed his mouth stupidly as Nico held his gaze. 

All of a sudden, Nico stepped back, looking around.  
“I am in desperate need of coffee… you got some?” 

Will groaned.  
“Are you seriously gonna make me make you coffee after I just spent hours doing just that?” he whined.

Nico just hummed, taking his hand cautiously and leading him to the tiny kitchen attached to the small living room.

Nico’s fingers against his skin made Will forget what he was complaining about. 

His mind still blank of anything but Nico, his soft voice resonating with him, he made him his drink, putting in the perfect amount of sugar.  
"There you go..." He handed him the hot coffee, distracted. Nico had a smile on his face.

“Thanks, blondie…” he said, taking a sip of his coffee, closing his eyes as he swallowed the perfectly flavored beverage. Will didn’t understand how one person could be that cute and hot and just… amazing. There had to be a catch.

“No fair… I want a nickname for you as well…” Will pouted, making Nico raise his eyebrows with a smile. It was adorable. He set it down on the counter, looking at Will, tilting his head a bit.

“So make one up,” he said as if he was challenging him.

"Huh… what about… angel?" Will smirked at him. It fit him so well. His pale skin...mysterious eyes…

Nico’s smile disappeared from his face, looking at Will with panic. Will looked back, concerned.

“Hey… are you alright? Sorry… that was way too cheesy,” he said, laughing awkwardly. Nico forced a smile as well.

“No… sorry… angel is good, great actually,” he said, laughing a bit to himself. Will beamed.

Nico's palms started swearing. He nervously wiped them on his pants. What if he knew? No...it was impossible. He had known him only for a week. But...what if he recognized him? He really didn't want to take care of him...not in that way. His father had warned him not to get attached to anyone. And yet there he was, almost blowing his secret.

The last thing he wanted was to put Will in danger. The less he knew, the better.

"Wanna watch a movie or something?" Will asked, breaking the tense silence.

Nico looked up at him, shaking his thoughts away. “Sure,” he said, smiling genuinely.

They sat down on the couch. Will opened his Netflix account, previous shows he watched before on the screen.

They turned on a random episode of a crime show. Nico was just happy he finally had some time for something else than work. Somewhere through the episode, he realized Will had his arm around his waist and he was leaning up against him. It was really nice. He rested his head on Will's shoulder, forgetting about everything for a moment before the reality of this hit him like a truck. He was dating someone. Will didn't know anything about him… What if he finds out? What if his...coworkers find out about his new boyfriend? They were not allowed to have serious relationships since it could ruin everything they have worked for.

Nico’s heart was racing in his chest. Will was sitting next to him. The man he had silently been admiring for two years. 

Will yawned as the hour-long episode ended, contaminating Nico with his sleepiness.

Nico looked up at Will, he knew he should just walk away before he caught feelings, but he couldn’t. Something about those sky-blue eyes made him forget about rational thinking, and so, as Will looked back down at him, his breath on Nico’s neck, he leaned in, joining their lips, hating himself more and more with every second their kiss persisted. But with every dance their lips pressed together, every time Will bit his lower lip, teasing him, he couldn't help but fall for him, reciprocating enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting what a terrible mistake he was making, giving in to his desires.

Will never wanted this moment to end, the smaller man’s lips were soft and full, perfectly fitting his own. They were desperate and longing, and so were Will’s, constantly pleading for more, and Will obliged, teasingly tracing his jawline with his fingers, making Nico shiver. This only encouraged Will to continue. The sleepiness they had felt only moments ago was long gone, replaced with something that made them feel alive.

They were both out of breath, but so entrapped in the kiss that they refused to pull away.  
Will’s hand trailed from Nico’s jawline down to his neck. He cautiously licked the rim of Nico’s lips, asking for permission, which Nico gladly granted. Their tongues danced together in perfect harmony, making them shudder. That’s when Nico pulled away, gasping for breath, looking at Will with longing.  
Will smiled back at him, a hungry look in his eyes, and as if rehearsed, they joined their lips once more, Nico moving closer to Will, resting an arm on his thigh.

Will let out a moan, running his hands down Nico’s torso, resting them at the small of his back, pulling him closer.  
Nico let out a contempt laugh, melting into the blond’s embrace, his hands tangled in Will’s golden curls.  
They both sighed heavily, entering a stage of euphoria.

After some while, they finally pulled apart, gazing at each other.  
Will had no idea he could even fall for someone that quickly. 

They smiled at each other and started laughing lightly, Nico resting his head against Will’s chest. Their height difference was much more noticeable when they were this close.

Will lay down on the couch, smiling like an idiot. Nico rested on his shoulder, his hand affectionately stroking his chest. 

"Do you always smell like coffee?" Nico asked, making Will laugh.

“Pretty much, since I work at a coffee shop, you might recall that detail…we met there and all that stuff...” Will said, laughing softly.

“Hmm… let me think…nope, don’t remember, didn’t happen...” Nico said, laughing as well.

"Well I sure hope you remember because if you don’t, our bond is shattered,” Will said, playing with Nico’s soft hair.

"So we bonded?" Nico joked, looking up at Will with his big brown eyes, making Will’s heart skip a beat. 

“Oh I don’t know… we made out, I held you in my arms… you tell me…” Will laughed.

"Might have to check again," he whispered as he quickly pecked his lips, smiling softly, and just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. He sprung to his feet quickly.  
"Hey, calm down! It's not a bomb!" Will joked, a bit disappointed by their interruption.

Nico laughed nervously. He looked around the little apartment for a private place, but remembered Will telling him about the noise issues, so, sighing, he picked up the phone, switching into work mode, turning the sound down as much as possible, walking to the opposite side of the small living room.

“Speak,” he said coldly, making shivers go down Will’s spine. He was shocked at how fast his demeanor could change from playful and loving to cold and emotionless.

For some time, Nico listened, occasionally nodding or wincing angrily. 

“Fine. Do what you must, but know I’m not cleaning up your mess after you again, understood?” he said so harshly that Will’s heart clenched. What was Nico talking about? He certainly didn’t sound very friendly at the moment. He sounded like a predator, stalking its prey, and it scared Will a bit, but a part of him also gasped, intrigued by this new, harsher side of the man.

Nico laughed, but it wasn’t his happy, flustered laugh, it sounded distant… cruel even…extremely arousing…

“Well, you must admit that’s quite fitting…” Nico said.

“Well… they were bound to catch on at some point. Just… keep it clean,” and without any further comment, he ended the call, looking back at Will, forgetting to take off his cold mask for a second before softening his gaze.

All of his former malice gone, he looked at Will with fearful eyes.

It was terrifying, seeing how quickly he seemed to change.

“Wh-what was that about?” Will asked, his voice a little higher than he would have liked it to be.

“I… it was work,” Nico said, looking down at the ground. He looked so broken, so vulnerable… all Will wanted to do was go comfort him, but he knew he needed answers first.

"What was that 'cleaning' thing about?" he asked worriedly as Nico tried to regulate his shaky breath. 

"It's nothing to worry about. One of our coworkers is leaving so they organized a little goodbye party. Y'know... I didn't want them to leave a mess behind…”

"So... mister is the boss of his business? Nice…” Will said flirtatiously, bringing back the flustered Nico he adored.

Nico opened and closed his mouth. He felt horrible for lying, but as Will looked at him like that… with emotion… like no one had for a long time, he broke. He was weak. He was selfish, he knew he was being an awful person, yet, as he sat back down next to Will, he couldn’t help feeling that this was the happiest he had been it quite some time.


	4. Chapter 4

The next thirteen months were the best of Will’s life. Just like the last two years, he would wake up, go to work, go to his classes, and study deep into the night. 

But Nico was what made everything a million times better. The way Will would kiss Nico’s cheek as soon as he woke up when he had spent the night, the way Nico would latch onto Will when he made coffee, the way he would wave goodbye when they parted, the way his brown eyes widened at the sight of him, the way he would roll his eyes at Will’s stupid jokes, the way he would listen to him ramble on and on, even if he really didn’t care…

Will was slowly falling in love, and as they say, love is blind. That’s why he ignored the red flags, the strange phone calls… 

• • •

“Morning angel,” Will yawned as Nico finally woke up, curled up against Will, his face buried in his chest.

“Morning blondie,” he said sleepily, disentangling himself from Will and stretching. He sat up, looking around the room, spotting his phone on Will’s desk. He stood up and walked over to it.

Will watched as he groggily rubbed his eyes to look through his notifications, he was wearing one of Will’s shirts, which was about three sizes too big, one of his shoulders exposed. Once again, Will questioned how someone could be this cute.

His expression hardened as he looked down at his phone, a bit of panic in his eyes. 

“Everything alright?” Will asked, still sitting on the bed.

Nico smiled at him but hurriedly started gathering his belongings. “Yeah, everything’s fine, just a work emergency…” he mumbled, not looking at Will as he got dressed quickly.

“Man, can’t they leave you alone, just for one day?” Will whined. He hated how Nico always left so quickly and unexpectedly. 

Nico scoffed. “If only…” he said with a sigh of longing that bore so much emotion it made Will worry. He didn’t want to see Nico overwork himself. 

“Hey, do you have time tomorrow afternoon? I don’t have my seminars so… we could do something…” Will said. 

Though there weren’t as many as he would have wanted since he was a college student, he wanted to spend every second of his free time with Nico.

“I...I’ll try to figure something out,” he said, smiling at Will and waving goodbye, not even waiting for a coffee as he usually did.

• • •

Nico walked down the street hurriedly. What was he doing? He knew the longer this went on, the longer he let himself believe that everything might work out, the worse the consequences would be. He couldn’t get attached, he wasn’t meant to have someone… But every time Will looked at him with those brilliant blue eyes, every time he heard Will’s voice, he couldn’t help himself. He was weak, he was selfish. 

• • •

Will was rustling through his papers, a nervous wreck at this point, he heard a soft knock on the door. A bit annoyed by the disturbance, he walked over to the door, grumbling. He was about to yell at whoever was bothering him when he spotted a very panicked Nico at his door.

“Nico...what are you-”

“Can I come in?” he asked hurriedly. Will frowned a bit but let him in, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hey… I’m sorry… I would love to spend time with you but I really have to study,” Will said awkwardly. What was Nico doing here? It was a bit past midnight on a Tuesday.

“That’s okay, I just… wanted to see you,” Nico said, but Will had a feeling there was more to it than that. He shook the thought away. He had to focus on studying.

“Are you staying over again tonight?” Will asked hesitantly before sitting back down to his work. They hadn’t really discussed the nature of their relationship yet, so he didn't want to cross any boundaries and certainly didn’t want to assume anything.

“If you don’t mind,” Nico said fearfully.

“Of course not,” Will smiled. Nico let out a sigh of relief.

A few hours later, Nico was reading a book silently in Will’s bed as he kept on studying. Somehow, just him being there made Will’s stress subside. He would look back at the man, immersed in a fictional world, bundled up in one of his sweaters. 

“You know I can see you staring at me, right?” Nico said jokingly, not looking up from his book.

Will laughed and went back to studying, but Nico wasn’t having any of it. He stood up and was about to wrap his arms around Will, maybe kiss his neck a bit when he noticed just how big the sweater was for him and snarled.

“Why must you be so much taller than me?!” Nico said incredulously. “The sleeves are so long you can’t even see my fingers!” he whined, making Will turn around, catching him flapping the excess fabric around furiously, his face scrunched up.

Will couldn’t take it anymore, he got up from his chair and pulled Nico to sit next to him on the bed, laughing. 

“You’re adorable,” he said, beaming down at Nico. He looked murderous.

“Shut up Solace,” he said harshly, glaring at Will, but he couldn’t take him seriously in that sweater.

“You shut up… uh…” 

That’s when Will realized that after a year of dating him, he couldn’t think of his surname. He had always just been ‘Nico’. He racked his memory, but he was pretty sure Nico never told him. He looked down at him, baffled. Nico was still sulking, muttering something about not being adorable.

“Hey Nico, what’s your surname?” Will asked curiously, seemingly out of the blue.

“What?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“What’s your surname, I don’t think you’ve ever told me,” Will said patiently. 

Nico stared at him, Will stared back.

“I… uh… um… I think I told you,” Nico said, stumbling over his words.

Will was so ashamed, how could he not remember his name? He would happily go on about him to all his friends for hours, but he didn’t even remember his name. He was the worst person ever.

“I’m really sorry I forgot…” Will said, looking down at his feet, waiting for Nico to yell at him that he didn’t even care enough to remember his name.

“Jackson,” Nico said quickly. “No… it’s okay… maybe I didn’t tell you… I just figured you knew since we’ve kind of known each other for two years before we started… uh… dating?” Nico rambled nervously.

Will smiled, Nico was so adorably awkward. He wrapped his arm around Nico’s waist and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush lightly and lean into him.

“Huh… Nico Jackson… that sounds so weird,” Will laughed. 

“Well thanks for insulting my name,” Nico said defensively, trying to hide his panic. 

"No! I didn’t mean it like that! God, I’m such an idiot… I just… I just meant I would have expected something else,” Will said, guilty to have made fun of his last name.

“Oh yeah, like what?” Nico smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head to look at Will. He could feel Nico’s breath on his face.

“I don’t know! Something exotic… nevermind…” Will said, more and more embarrassed by the second.

“So… are you done studying?” Nico asked in barely a whisper, leaning in a bit closer.

Will looked back at his desk miserably. It was two in the morning and he still had so much to do…

“Hey… do you need help studying? I could help you with anatomy or something…” he said.

Will stared at him for a little while before bursting into laughter. Nico sat there for a minute, confused before he understood the double meaning, and blushed furiously.

“I didn’t-I didn’t mean-” he stuttered but Will cut him off.

“Sure you didn’t… not tonight though,” Will joked, sitting back down at the desk, smiling to himself.

Nico stood there for a minute, embarrassed before he admitted defeat. “Whatever, I’m going to sleep, have fun… whatever you’re doing,” he said, curling up under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

A few hours later, when the first lights of dawn started to turn the sky from black to dark blue, Will finally turned the lights off, climbing into bed next to Nico, who moved closer to his warm body. Will smiled as he fell asleep with Nico pressed up against him, brushing a strand of his soft black hair out of his face. He had really never been happier.


	5. Chapter 5

Will was driving down the highway, Nico sitting next to him. His palms were sweaty, he didn’t think he had ever been this nervous in his entire life. Nico was going to meet his mom. He was the first person he had ever brought home. 

“Are you nervous?” Will asked, looking over at Nico, who kept fidgeting and checking his phone. 

“A bit… You?” he answered. 

“Yeah…” Will said, gripping the steering wheel anxiously. “As I said before… I never properly came out to anyone except Kayla and Austin … though I think everyone already knows on some level…”

"Hm?" Nico asked, intrigued.

"Uh...I mean...I haven't exactly been subtle about it, you know?" Will said, thinking back to his teenage obsession with Tom Holland and cringing internally.

"Do explain..." Nico said teasingly.

Will sighed in exasperation.

“Well, you know! I never brought home any girls, I would blatantly comment on how hot male actors were, and I may or may not have sneaked out of the house to meet my ‘friend’ Eric a few times…” he said, laughing nervously.

Nico raised his eyebrows and scoffed. 

Will pushed Nico playfully with his free hand. Earning a cute little laugh from Nico, that made his heart flutter. He hoped his mom would love him at least half as much as he did.

He still felt like it was all too perfect to be true. And as much as he tried, he couldn’t seem to find a catch. Nico was smart, funny, caring, cute, a little bit of an asshole, but that somehow just made Will love him more. 

He didn’t know how he would handle it if his mom didn’t approve of Nico. He imagined all the things that could go wrong, freaking himself out. 

“Will?” Nico asked, reaching over to hold Will’s free hand reassuringly. Will squeezed it, smiling a bit as they continued to speed down the highway.

• • •

Nico examined Will’s hand in his own and was quickly lost in thought. He was meeting Will’s mom. This meant something. This relationship was not just some fling, though he had known that for a while now, he hadn’t let himself believe it. He was in love with Will. And that was bad. Really, really bad.

• • •

They stepped out of the car as soon as Will parked in the driveway of his childhood home. Nico looked around properly and almost gasped. Beautiful rolling hills covered in forests and large meadows stretched out behind a lovely little brick house with a red roof at the very edge of the suburbs. A garden with many herbs and two apple trees surrounded the house. 

Will smiled when he saw Nico’s astonished face. 

“It’s so beautiful here,” Nico said, walking towards Will, wrapping his arms around his neck, and kissing him lightly on the cheek, sending a warm feeling through Will. He lingered a bit before pulling away again. They grabbed their things and Will dragged Nico towards the house, beaming. They stopped in front of the door and Will quickly let go, rubbing his hands together nervously before knocking on the door.

His mom opened the door, looking exactly like he remembered her. Wavy brown hair and a kind face, about a head shorter than him. He didn’t even realize how much he had missed her hugs until she pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Will! I’m so glad you came! You look like you haven’t slept in weeks! How are you? How is school? How is Kayla? You have to tell me everything!” she said, and before Will even had a chance to open his mouth, she turned to Nico.

“And you must be Nico! Will has told me so much about you! I’m so glad to finally meet you!” she said, smiling at him, before pulling him into a warm hug. 

“It’s really nice to finally meet you as well, Mrs. Solace,” Nico said.

“Oh please dear, call me Naomi,” she said. 

“Mom, could we put our stuff inside before you start interrogating us?” Will asked, knowing his mother all too well.

“Of course,” Naomi said, “Nico, dear, I prepared the guest room for you, I’ll show you where it is…” she said. Will rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, he cleared his throat.

“Um… mom? Nico will probably be in my room with me…?” he said, feeling himself turning red. He wanted to bury himself alive as his mom looked at the two of them, standing next to each other awkwardly, her eyes widening in a sudden realization.

“Oh… oh right… ok… well then… that’s settled I guess…” she said, before smiling and embracing her son once more.

“Love you so, so much honey,” she said quietly, lifting a huge weight off of his shoulders.

They pulled apart once more and she ushered them into a house

• • •

Nico helped Naomi prepare proper Italian lasagna for dinner while Will stood by them, watching and rambling on about how his life in the city had been since he had seen his mother eight months ago.

Nico showed a hidden talent for cooking, adding all sorts of spices the Americans hadn’t even thought of. Will scowled. Nico had made them eat junk food for the last year.

“How come you’ve never cooked if you’re so good at it!” Will whined.

“Hardly…” Nico said, scoffing. “Also, you never asked me to…” he said, giving Will a sly smirk over his shoulder.

Naomi laughed, as Will flung his hands in the air, exasperated.

“What was I supposed to do?! ‘Yo, Nico, make me a sandwich!’ or what?” he said, creeping up behind his mother and stealing a bit of cheese. She slapped his hand away and looked at Nico with a grin.

“If my son ever says that to you, call me so that we can teach him how to properly respect the culinarily competent, unlike himself,” she said, making Nico laugh.

“Or… I can make the best dam sandwich in the universe… and eat it in front of him… slowly…” Nico said, an evil glint in his eyes.

“Oooooh, I like that better…” Naomi said as they started layering the lasagna.

“Ok, I am never letting you go anywhere alone with Nico, ever,” Will said, looking at the two of them in horror. 

They all laughed as they finished up and put the lasagna into the oven. Nico gave Will a quick kiss on the cheek and an evil grin, making Naomi smile.

They were just done with cleaning up when Nico’s phone rang from the living room. 

He looked back and forth from where the phone sat on the dining table to Will, looking back at him curiously. 

“I’m sorry I’m going to have to take that… I told them not to call unless it was an emergency…” Nico said, looking at the two of them apologetically.

“No worries, at least I’ll be able to talk to this dumbass a bit,” Naomi said, smiling at Nico, who nodded in response, exiting the kitchen and going out into the garden to pick up his phone.

“Work…” Will explained as Naomi looked after him in confusion.

“Oh… right… What does he do again?” Naomi asked.

“Not really sure… something with… I don’t know, some sort of family business… investing or something…” Will said, frowning a bit.

“Right…” Naomi said, before starting to bombard Will with question after question about Nico.

“How did the two of you meet?”

“Uh… work?”

“Oh… and how long have you been together?” 

“About a year…” Will said guiltily. He hadn’t told his mother they were dating in a phone call, and the last time he had visited, they had only been together a few months, so he didn’t want to make it a big deal. Thankfully, she didn’t question him about it any further, instead, asking more questions.

“Where is he from?” 

“Italy originally, but his family moved to the US when he was around four.”

“Thought he had a little bit of an accent… cute…” she said.

“MOM!” Will groaned, stealing a bit more cheese.

“What?" She asked innocently, making Will even more embarrassed.

“I don’t remember you being so interested in him when you thought he was just my friend…” Will huffed.

"Well, I don't have to worry about friends getting me grandchildren-"

“That’s not even how it works- Mom. Just… no. I’m begging you,” Will said, turning to the color of a cherry.

She burst into laughter. "I'm just messing with you. Don't blame me for being interested in who my son is dating… On that note, what are some of his hobbies?” she said.

“Mom… just ask him yourself at dinner!” Will groaned.

Naomi pursed her lips. “Fine. I will. Then tell me… how do you feel about him?” she said, tilting her head to the side.

“Mom…” Will said, annoyed.

“I’m serious. You’ve been dating for a year, that’s a pretty long time. You seem really close as well…” she said, looking at him expectantly.

“It’s not a big deal! No need to overcomplicate-” he said defensively, but Naomi cut him off

“Will,” she said sternly, making him look her in the eyes. “How do you feel about him.”

Will looked away again. “I… I don’t know. He’s amazing, but… it almost seems like he doesn’t want a serious relationship…” he said. Naomi stayed quiet for a little while, before walking up to Will and holding his hand in hers like she used to do when she was comforting him as a little boy.

“He’s here right now, isn’t he? Obviously, he wouldn’t leave what sounds like a really stressful job for three whole days just for anyone…” she reasoned. 

Will shrugged, still not meeting her eyes. “I guess… but…” he stayed silent for a little while, “I just don’t want to screw everything up. I think I might really like him…” he said, finally looking up at his mother.

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I’m sure it will all work out, you just have to have the courage to make the first step, if he doesn’t.”

Nico quietly entered the house once more, clearing his throat nervously.

“Sorry about that...” he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket guiltily.

“No worries! So, was it important?” Will joked, Nico always complained about being informed of every little thing.

"Yes, but not as important as that lasagna waiting for us, it smells amazing…” he said.

Naomi smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious with an Italian in the kitchen…”

“You would change your mind if you had ever met my parents… they couldn’t cook for the life of them…” he said, saddening at a memory of his family trying their hardest to make edible cupcakes from before everything happened. 

He shook the thought away and walked towards the oven to check on the lasagna.

“Impatient, are we?” Will smirked, making Nico roll his eyes.

“It’s called making sure your dinner isn’t burnt to crisps,” he said in a teasing tone. “It needs like ten more minutes,” he assessed, turning to look at them.

Naomi was smiling at him sweetly and Will was looking at him strangely, Nico tilted his head questioningly at Will, who just smiled back, making Nico’s heart beat faster.

"We're never eating McDonald's again," Will whispered to Nico threateningly.

Nico gasped dramatically

"DoN't yOu dArE taKe tHe hApPy mEaL aWaY fRoM mE yOu aSs"

“Oh don’t worry, I would never take your greatest love away from you… Hope you and Happy meal live a long happy life together… I’ll just be here, not being able to cook for shit,” Will said sarcastically.

“William Solace, mind your language,” Naomi scolded him.

“Nico literally just called me, your son, an ass!” Will complained like he was five years old.

“Yes, well, that’s different because it’s true, honey,” Naomi teased, making Nico laugh.

"Two against one. What kind of trickery is this?!” he whined dramatically.

"You poor thing," Naomi squeezed his cheeks jokingly.

"mOM,"

"What? You'll always be my baby no matter how much you grow up," she kissed his cheeks, purposefully embarrassing him as much as possible, as Nico stood, two feet away leaning against the counter, snickering and smiling at the sight.

"cOuld yOu pLeAse nOt?" Will growled, backing away, his face red.

“A mother’s love cannot be subdued or stopped! I am irreplaceable so you better let me kiss your cheek as much as I want!” Naomi commanded, laughing.

Nico looked away as Will got strangled by his loving mother, checking once again on the lasagna.

“I think it’s done…” Nico announced, ending the kiss tornado.

Will helped his mom get the table as Nico carefully put the steaming dish on it.

"Bien appétit!" Will said as he sat down.

Nico choked. "Did you just mix Spanish and French in an attempt to speak Italian??" 

"Quit teasing, I'm doing my best!" 

They all laughed, steadying their breaths as Nico served them generously filled plates of mouth-watering lasagna.

“So Nico, tell me all about yourself! Will said you work in a family business...That's amazing… At such a young age. You must be very close to your family, we should definitely meet them sometimes,” Naomi said after a moment.

“Well… not many people to meet… “ he started saying. Will put a hand on his leg reassuringly, a feeling of overwhelming safety spreading through his body. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he continued, new confidence found inside him.

“My mother and sister died in an accident when I was a child, my father… he… well he isn’t around. But I do have a half-sister, Hazel. She’s really sweet, I love her to death. Also, I’m an uncle. Or, half-uncle,” he said, smiling at the thought of Hazel, Frank, and little Liam. A happy little family.

“How do I not know any of this???” Will asked, incredulous. Nico laughed.

“You never asked!” Nico said defensively. Naomi smiled to herself.

“Oh… well… your sister sounds wonderful,” Naomi said. Nico nodded. He knew that if he talked about his family, things would get awkward.

“Anyway… I still haven’t tasted this lasagna and the smell is tantalizing, so I’m going to go ahead and dig in,” Will said after a little while of silence.

Nico was disappointed by the loss of contact. He picked up his fork, and maybe it was the loving atmosphere, maybe it was the fact that this was the first time in a long time he felt like he belonged somewhere, or maybe it was just the spices, but that was the best lasagna he had ever tasted.


	6. Chapter 6

Will woke up around two in the morning due to a sudden loss of warmth. He groaned and rolled over to find the bed empty of Nico. He sat up and looked around the room. The door was cracked open.

He climbed out of bed, muttering to himself about the cold. 

As he walked down the stairs into the living room, he stumbled in the dark until he saw Nico, standing in the garden under one of the apple trees, bathed in moonlight.

Will smiled and made his way towards him. The sound of the garden door opening caught Nico’s attention and he turned around, grinning, the soft light across his features making him even more beautiful than he already was, making Will’s heart skip a beat.

“Hey… What are you doing out here?” Will asked.

“Looking for Orion,” Nico answered with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Like from the myths?” Will asked, knitting his eyebrows in confusion, making Nico laugh lightly, and stretch out an arm for Will to join him. He did.

“No dumbass, like the constellation. See, there’s Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Aquarius…” Nico said, pointing out the constellations in the beautiful night sky, but soon, Will stopped following his finger with his gaze, looking at Nico instead.

“They’re beautiful,” he breathed. Nico looked around at him.

“Yeah…” he breathed back. “Did I wake you?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it…” Will said, rubbing his thumb on the back of Nico’s hand. This had a much stronger effect on Nico than he would like to admit.

They stood there silently in the cold November night, keeping each other warm as Nico pressed up against his, resting his head on Will’s shoulder. Will wrapped his arms around him.  
Will wondered if this was the right moment to follow his mother’s advice. He was pretty sure now. His heart beating fast in his chest, Nico’s breath coming out in puffs of smoke in the cold air, just… Nico.

“Hey Nico?” he said quietly.

“Yeah?” he asked, not even moving. 

“I…”

There was a long silence.

“That lasagna was amazing,” he said, cringing internally.

“Hmmm,” Nico mused appreciatively. “What did your mom say? Oh yeah, you should thank my Italian ancestors,” he said.

“Oh god… don’t even remind me. But at least with you here, she died down a bit on the interrogating, you should have seen her last time… ‘How are you managing? Is it too much for you? You haven’t done anything illegal, have you? You better not have done any drugs!’ I swear you’d think I joined a gang or something…” he said, rolling his eyes.

Nico’s heart dropped. This was it. He could come clean. Right now. But as he turned his head to look at Will, his hair silver in the moonlight, his freckles, and the way he looked back at him… he couldn’t do it. And then Will was talking again and the moment had passed. Nico was sickened by himself.

“Nico?” Will said, pulling away a bit to look at him properly. 

Nico was looking in front of him, trying to calm down. ‘Think about right here, right now,’ he told himself. But with every kiss, every word, every smile, it was harder and harder not thinking about a possible future with Will. What ifs he knew would never come true.

“Nico, are you okay?” Will asked, reaching out and tilting his head up gently. Nico swore he would never get tired of looking at him. He was just… perfect. 

“Yeah… just zoned out…” he lied, moving a bit closer, though he felt terrible. 

Will shook his head in understanding, searching Nico’s face for any hint of… well… anything.

“Nico?” he mumbled once more.

“Will,” Nico answered before pressing their lips together to keep a sob from escaping his own.


	7. Chapter 7

Nico rang on Will’s doorbell at exactly six pm, as they had planned. He smiled, he loved how Nico was always exactly on time.

He opened the door to see him. He was used to seeing him in a suit or his clothes, so it took him by surprise when he saw him standing there in black skinny jeans and an oversized band T-shirt.

"Hi there, blondie" Nico greeted him. 

“Hey angel,” he said. He loved it when Nico didn’t wear a suit. He seemed more… himself. He grabbed a sweater, just in case, and the two of them headed out.

Will couldn’t help glancing over at Nico every few seconds. His stomach lurched every time their fingers brushed against each other, eventually intertwining. 

Nico looked around nervously. Will could feel him tensing up like he always did when people were around.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask… why do you keep looking around?” Will asked lightheartedly, he didn’t want Nico to feel like he was being interrogated.

“Nervous habit…” Nico mumbled, squeezing Will’s hand reassuringly.

As they walked to the cinema, they talked about their favorite shows, and though the conversation wasn’t stale, nor was Nico’s body language indicating anything, Will could still see him scanning everything in their surroundings as if looking for a trap, and though it could have very plausibly been a nervous habit, Will had a feeling it was more than that. After all, he didn’t act anything like this when they had visited his mom a week ago...

"Hey, you can talk to me if something is bothering you…" Will said softly, only making Nico laugh nervously.

"Everything's fine," he said, glancing at Will lovingly, making his heart beat faster. He felt like an idiot for not telling him how he felt that night in the garden. He was back to square one, except this time, he was absolutely sure he was in love with Nico, but just like last time, he had no idea if Nico felt the same way.

They got into the overcrowded subway and sat next to each other, Will muttering sweet nothings into Nico’s ear, making him flustered and blushy. In turn, Nico teasingly nudging Will’s leg with his own, gazing into those brilliant blue eyes, forgetting for a minute about the world around them.

The subway lurched to a stop, making Nico crash his head into Will’s. Will winced as Nico started to laugh hysterically.

“Hey, that actually hurt…” Will whined before he started laughing as well. Nico rolled his eyes, kissing him on the forehead.

“There, all better now, crybaby?” he said, smirking.

“Hmmm, maybe try again…” Will said, earning a playful shove from Nico.

“Dumbass…”

• • • 

It was around seven pm when they finally arrived at the cinema. They walked in, hand in hand, but at the sight of so many people out in the open, where everything was visible from every angle, Nico quickly let go, clearing his throat.

“We should go buy the tickets,” he said, walking off towards the counter without waiting for Will, who stood there, a bit confused by the sudden change in his behavior.

Nico came back with two tickets for Trolls. 

"You know it's not too late to change the movie…” Nico said hopefully. 

“Yeah… no. You are going to see this with me, end of the discussion,” Will laughed.

"They had Parasite! People say it's good. You disappoint me..." he whined as they entered the projection room.

“That’s for making me eat McDonald's while being some sort of weird cooking prodigy…” Will said.

“Are you seriously making me see this just to spite me? If so, I’m impressed,” Nico said, raising his eyebrows.

“Maybe…” Will said, imitating Nico’s mysterious tone, making the shorter man groan.

As the room darkened and the movie started, Nico felt Will’s hand searching for his. He smiled and intertwined their fingers.

But as the opening scene came onto the screen, they did not remain in their romantic position. Nico burst out laughing at the sight of the colorful creatures singing on the screen.  
“What the fuck did you make me come to see, Solace,” Nico whispered through a silent fit of laughter. A mother looked around at him, annoyed, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Shut up Jackson,” Will said in return. He expected Nico to roll his eyes or punch him playfully, but he certainly didn’t expect him to look around him, visibly confused.

“What?” Nico asked, still laughing a bit.

“I said: ‘Shut up Jackson’” Will repeated, but Nico just looked more confused.

“Jackson?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You call me Solace all the time!” Will said defensively.

A look of understanding and horror flashed across Nico’s face momentarily before he faked a laugh.

“Sorry… I guess I’m just not used to you calling me that,” he said, trying to keep his tone lighthearted.

“Well… get used to it,” Will laughed, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, and kissing him lightly on the cheek, making Nico laugh softly.

“If it’s followed by that every time, I’m sure I will,” he breathed.

When they pulled away, Nico sensed someone staring at his back. He turned around and his heart stopped. This was not the right time. 

Did he follow him?? Will was in danger. But he doubted that he saw his face. He had to go home. And since the traffic was usually overcrowded around this time, it would be difficult to follow him.

"Hey, you have to go home. Now." Nico whispered.

"But the movie just started!" Will protested, incredulous.

"Just...trust me. You have to go. Don't look behind you. Text me when you get home."

"What the hell is wrong with you? We were having fun! Just tell me what you're so worried about. You've been looking around nervously all day, and now you tell me to go and not look back? I need a proper explanation, Jackson." Will demanded. Nico made a hissing sound at him, indicating he should shut up.

“I’m not going anywhere until you explain,” Will demanded. 

“Please…” Nico said, panic and anguish in his voice. He should have just kept his distance. He knew this would happen eventually. He wasn’t meant to be loved. He was a monster.

“I’ll go home, but you are coming with me,” Will said. Nico had half a mind to slap Will across the face. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. If Nico left with Will at that moment, it would not only confirm his identity but also put Will in danger.  
On the other hand, if they stayed and left with everyone else, they could call for backup and surround them.

“Fine,” Nico said begrudgingly, getting up quickly and walking towards the exit, Will running behind him to catch up, and sure enough, just as he opened the door to leave, the man who had been watching them stood up.

Nico sped up his pace even more, practically running to the exit. He couldn’t see the man anywhere, that was good, but it still didn’t eliminate the possibility that there was more than one person keeping tabs on him.

He sped down the street, not slowing down until they were in the subway once more.

Will, finally being able to talk, burst out.

“What the hell?!?! Would you mind explaining yourself???” he demanded loudly. Everyone around them turned to look at him. Nico gave him a pained look.

“I’m so sorry… You don’t deserve any of this,” he muttered. “Look I’ll explain, I promise, but not here…” he said, his eyes darting around the station.

Will looked around as well. “What the hell do you keep looking for?!” he asked just as loudly as before.

"Please...Keep quiet…I promise I'll explain once we get back to your place" Nico begged. 

Will let out an angry groan. "Why won't you just tell me now? It's not like anyone's listening!" he said. Nico couldn’t believe anyone could ever be as wrong. Everyone was always listening. Always.

The two men got on a train and sat next to each other, but they looked like strangers, sitting in silence, minding their own business.

As the train came to a stop at their station, Nico wove his way through the crowd quickly, speeding on without turning to look back at Will, who was trying desperately to keep up with him.

After what seemed like hours of chasing Nico through the city, they finally reached Will’s street, but Nico was not prepared for what he saw. A man in a black suit was standing at the entrance to Will’s apartment building.

He gasped and shoved both of them into an alleyway. It felt like he had fallen into a frozen lake.

“Wh-“ Will started to say, but Nico put a hand over his mouth shaking his head slightly.

Will could see him switching back to work-mode as he jumped out into the street again, the unknown man approaching him.

“You’ve got some nerve coming here, Ryan,” Will heard Nico say in a dangerous, yet deadly calm voice. The man looked down at Nico, but even from afar, Will could see him crumbling under Nico’s cold stare.

“Who put you up to this?” Nico asked, taking a step towards him. The man immediately backed off.

“I swear! I didn’t want… They threatened my family, please…” the man whimpered as Nico approached him.

“Oh, please, we both know you like to hide behind powerful people… it was bound to catch up to you someday…” Nico purred, backing the man up against the wall.

“Nowhere left to hide, no one here to protect you… should have been careful about where your loyalties lie..” Nico mused in a mesmerizing voice, striking both fear and wonder in Will.

The man whimpered. 

“So I ask again. Who put you up to this, Ryan?” Nico said, his voice lacking any emotion.

“Fuck you,” the man said, spitting in Nico’s face.

“That was not necessary…” Nico said, evaluating ‘Ryan’ before sliding something out of his pocket.

As he heard a click and saw a flash of silver, Will realized it was a knife. He shuddered. All his instincts told him to get out of there, but a weird fascination, or maybe just idiocy made him stay, and watch as the man who has not even an hour ago been hysterically laughing at a cartoon pressed the knife to Ryan’s throat.

“Speak,” Nico said.

Will could hear the man gasping for breath. He felt sick. He wanted to rush over, help him, but he was frozen in shock, unable to do anything but watch.

“It was them, okay?? I was just sent here as a lookout, I don’t know anything!” he pleaded. 

Nico took the knife away from his throat, leaving a very shallow cut where it had been, and Ryan took a deep breath, but Nico wasn’t done.

“Then tell me Ryan… how come I’ve seen you three times, this week alone?” He said, feigning interest in the blade in his hand.

“I was told to follow you, I-“ he started to say, but faltered as Nico gave him an unimpressed look. A look he had given Will many times after a few very bad jokes. The thought made him sick.

“They have my family! I needed to sell you out, maybe then, they would give them back! Please… please you’ve got to help me…” the man sobbed, sinking to his knees at Nico’s feet. 

Will wanted to go over there and hug him, protect him. From Nico. All of this was too much to grasp. Nico just looked down at the man, crumpled in the street, not a trace of pity in his eyes. 

“You chose your side, now you must deal with the consequences, ” Nico said.

Will was horrified, if Ryan was telling the truth, there were people’s lives at stake. How could he act so cruel? Did he not care about other people’s lives? 

The word 'cleanup' resonated in his head. He was going to throw up.

“You will not tell anyone about anything, understood?” Nico said. The man sobbed.

“Get up,” Nico ordered, making Ryan flinch, but followed his command.

“Please… my wife… my kids, my mother…” the man said. 

Will thought he saw a flash of compassion in Nico’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry you sucked your family into this mess, but there is nothing I can do to help you,” Nico said coldly.

“You’re a monster,” the man said, his voice filled with pure fury and anguish, tears streaming down his face, quaking like a leaf. 

Will saw a flash of silver and heard a muffled scream. He saw Ryan, his hands on his cheek, a small stream of blood running down his fingers.

Nico was shaking, Will didn’t know if it was anger, laughter, or something else, but he knew he didn’t want to find out.

“A little reminder, that you are powerless in this world. You had a chance to stand beside me, you have no one to blame but yourself. So unless you want your family’s fate, leave. NOW,” Nico said, dragging him by his shirt and throwing him down the street.

Ryan stumbled, looking back one last time, before running away.

Nico turned his attention to Will, who was looking at him in horror.

He witnessed once more as Nico changed from empty and cold to filled to the brim with emotion, his eyes begging Will to stay, his heart breaking.

“Will… please… I can explain,” he said, a tear rolling down his cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

Will stumbled back as Nico took a step forward. What if he angered him as well? Would he lash out at him like that? Lives meant nothing to him. Will couldn't help but agree with Ryan. Nico was a monster. And he was in love with him.

As Nico saw the petrified look in Will’s eyes, his eyes overflowed with tears and his entire body started to shake.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, bowing his head. 

Will’s heart ached at the sight, so against all better judgment, he moved a bit closer.

“W-What the HELL just happened? Who was that man? Why didn’t you help him?! Do you even care… do you… have you…” his voice broke, he couldn’t even bring himself to say it. If this was Nico being merciful, what was he like merciless?

Nico broke down. "I was going to tell you. But not this way… I can explain everything. But not outside," Nico said. He sounded so shattered that against all rationality, Will led the man inside, crossing his arms and frowning as he closed the door behind them.

"Well...What the man said was pretty self-explanatory-" he began before Will interrupted him harshly.

"I’ve had enough of your guessing games! Tell me everything, now," he demanded, trying his hardest not to break under Nico's hurt eyes.

Nico sighed, he didn't want any of this to happen. If only he had run away so long ago…

He told him everything, or as much as he needed to to make sense of everything. 

“You have to understand, I didn’t tell you to protect you, I’m always being followed, watched. I didn’t want to put you in danger, that’s why I never told you anything sooner. Everyone always told me not to get involved with people from the outside. But with you… I’m sorry, I know it’s not an excuse, I was weak. I’m so sorry. You never have to see me again. You’ll be safe. I’m- I’m so sorry Will,” Nico said, turning to leave the apartment. He didn’t care that Will could rat him out to the police, he didn’t care anymore. He had let himself believe that for once in his life he could be happy, loved. But that was before Will knew what a monster he really was.

“Wait!” Will exclaimed, panicked. He had no idea what he wanted to do, or say. He was furious that Nico had kept a secret like that from him, but he also understood. He was terrified by who Nico really was, but he knew that this had not been his choice. He knew the real Nico. The one that laughed at his stupid jokes and made comments that could make him blush… the one who’s eyes gleamed with happiness and hope when he looked at him… That was the real Nico.

And he couldn’t let himself lose that person.

Nico turned around, his expression hard, but his eyes filled with so much sorrow.

“Please… stay,” he said as Nico laid his hand on the door handle.

Nico searched his face desperately. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, his eyes once again filling with tears, but after a few seconds, he let go of the handle and shook his head in agreement, taking a shaky breath, not daring to meet Will’s eyes.

They stood there for a while, both trying desperately not to cry. Will couldn’t wrap his head around all of it. Nico di Angelo, leader of the Casa Nostra. He had heard the name a few times, but no one knew how the man looked. He had always imagined a scary burly man, six feet tall, menacing… Not the fragile beautiful person in front of him. Not someone who would lovingly hold his hand, with a smile like an angel’s.

“I never wanted to hurt you… I figured you’d get tired of me after a little while…” Nico mumbled, desperately trying to blink the tears out of his eyes. After a minute of silence, he added: “I never wanted this you know…” 

“Wh-what do you mean?” Will asked, he looked up at the man before him. He was shaking ever so lightly.

“I never wanted to be involved… it’s just… my father was… I couldn’t escape it even if I wanted to… which I did. Once you’re in, you never get out. That’s how it works,” Nico said. There was so much emotion in those words. 

Will wondered what it must have been like to grow up in an environment like that, seeing things no one ever should… He suddenly understood the hard cold exterior Nico put on. It wasn’t to intimidate, it was to protect himself.

"It doesn't have to be this way…" Will whispered. He really wished he could help. But he didn't see how he could.

Nico shook his head miserably. “I… Will… I should go. I’m just putting you in danger, especially after what happened today, I’m just surprised it took this long. Even now, someone could have seen me here.”

Nico was about to walk out. Walk out of Will’s life. Will couldn’t let that happen.

“No! Please… I… I know it sounds really stupid, but I just… I don’t want you to go. Who would I make the same drink for every morning?” he joked, gently intertwining their fingers, rubbing his thumb reassuringly against Nico’s skin.

Nico laughed a bit through his tears. “I thought you hated that…” 

“I may have exaggerated my annoyance by your beverage choices,” Will said softly, happy to see Nico’s beautiful smile again.

Nico looked like he had forgotten about everything for a second, but then the pain reappeared in his eyes.

“God, you are perfect,” he whispered. He looked up at Will, trying to memorize every inch of his face. Every freckle, his slightly upturned eyelashes, his softly curling hair shimmering in the light, every hue of blue visible in his eyes.  
He moved a bit closer. He could steal this one last moment of happiness… right? 

Will sighed as he felt Nico’s breath against his neck. It was driving him crazy. He looked down at Nico di Angelo. He wondered why the universe had to play such a cruel trick on him, giving him all he had ever wanted and taking it away again so quickly. 

No, he wasn’t going to let that happen.

He looked at the raven-haired man before joining their lips. He kissed him passionately, hungrily, putting as much emotion into the kiss as possible. Nico kissed back with equal enthusiasm.

As he realized what he was doing, Nico pulled back, only making Will crave for more. Will looked down at him, confused.

"I-I'm sorry...This will only bring you trouble. I should really go…" he mumbled, his heart breaking as he walked out the door.

Nico walked down Will's street alone as the night got darker and colder, just like his thoughts. 

Will stood in front of the closed door, frozen in total shock. The man he loved was the leader of one of the most dangerous mafias to ever exist. He pinched himself, checking if all of this wasn't some weird nightmare. 

With a sudden feeling of dread, he understood what was going on. He would never see Nico again. He had to go and find him. He didn’t care if it would put him in danger. All he ever wanted was to have Nico in his arms. He wanted Nico to be his. He wanted to kiss him like they were the only two people in the world. 

Will ran out of his apartment as fast as he could, not even bothering to lock the door behind himself. 

He flew down the stairs so fast it was a miracle he didn’t kill himself. He ran out into the street, spotting Nico at the end of the empty street, his head bowed, walking at a nervously fast pace.

“NICO!” Will called out, running towards him.

The pale man turned around, his wide brown eyes filled with tears.

“W-will?” he questioned quietly as the blonde reached him.

Will stood in front of Nico for a minute, out of breath. But just as Nico was about to ask what was going on, Will swiftly pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him and leaning down to kiss him.

Nico was taken by surprise. He took a sharp breath but kissed Will back when he once again realized what he was doing. He pushed Will away with surprising strength for his stature.

“What the hell are you doing?! Do you want to get yourself killed?!” Nico hissed, looking around in panic.

Will looked right into Nico’s eyes, his gaze filled with emotion.

“I don’t care. I want to be with you, and if that includes risks, I am willing to take them. I am not losing you this quickly,” Will said, but to his surprise, Nico looked angry.

“Just back off! You have no idea what you’re talking about! The murder… torture… like you said, these people don’t care about people’s lives. You have no idea what you would be getting yourself into. I just… I can’t see another person I care about taken away,” Nico said, his voice quavering.

Will looked down into Nico’s eyes. They were filled with so much pain and desperate longing.

“I know this might sound stupid, but I’ve never been happier than I have been the last year with you. I know this could put me in danger… but I just can’t lose you. So please. Don’t leave. I want you to be in my life. You can walk away from this right now, but if you do, the reason has to be that you don't want to be with me, not because you are afraid of letting me in to protect me. One day my life will flash before my eyes and I want it to be worth watching. I want you in it." He didn’t know when, but sometime throughout his cheesy monologue, they had started crying silently.

"Did you… did you just quote MCR at me?" Nico laughed through his tears, sniffling.

"I was trying to be romantic there!" Will said hysterically, laughing a bit as well, his voice hoarse from trying to keep back sobs.

“I… I really don’t want to put you in danger,” Nico said miserably, looking down at his feet. He knew it was no use arguing. Will would never give up on him, just like he said. He let out a quiet sob. If something happened to Will… if anyone ever laid a finger on him… He vowed he would protect the man standing in front of him. 

He smiled a bit, which told Will more than words ever could. His heart raced against his chest.

He smiled as well, stepping a bit closer. Nico grabbed him by his shirt, tears streaming down his face, and kissed him deeply in response.

When they pulled apart, their breathing was heavy and there were tear tracks on their cheeks. 

They laughed nervously, eyes still red, as they fell into each other’s arms. Nico rested his head in the crook of Will’s neck, taking in the smell of summer and coffee.

When they finally let go, they walked side by side back to the tiny apartment, Will holding his hand tight, never wanting to let go.

• • • 

As they slammed the apartment door shut, Will pushed Nico against the wall, making him gasp in surprise.

"Well that was unexpected," Nico muttered a slight grin on his lips.

"I-...ugh..." Will couldn't even talk. He rejoined their lips, and pinned Nico to the wall, earning a sigh of pleasure.

He pulled back, making Nico whine in discontent, but as Will kissed his neck instead, he stopped complaining. He tilted his head to widen Will’s canvas, moaning in pleasure as Will slowly made his way to his shoulder, leaving a trail of marks.

“Will…” Nico said in a barely audible whisper. He wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, pulling him closer. His body pressed up against Will’s felt amazing. He deepened the kiss, letting Will take the lead as they stumbled towards the bedroom.

Nico jumped up and wrapped his legs around Will. Pressing closer to him.

All Will could think about was Nico. He kept kissing his neck, shivers running down his spine as Nico gripped his hair.

Will pulled back, brushing a strand of hair out of Nico's face, gazing at his mysterious eyes as the smaller man counted his freckles, gently rubbing his thumb on his tanned cheek. He couldn’t get enough of him.

As they reached the bedroom door, Will gently pushed it open, walking the two of them to the bed. Will lowered Nico down onto the mattress, looking down at him with so much emotion. He could never fully express how he felt about Nico. All his perfection and imperfection. It was too much to describe. All he could do was look, listen, feel. He took Nico in, knowing that with every second, he had one less to spend with him. So he smiled at the man below him, in bittersweet agony. 

Wanting just what he had, but forever wanting more. He wanted Nico to be his. Will looked down at him, his beautiful brown eyes wide in expectation and wonder, and he could only think of one thing to say.

“God, I love you” he breathed. Nico’s heart beat faster in his chest than it ever had before.

“I love you too,” Nico whispered, smiling in relief, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders as he said those words. He felt so liberated, yet he knew he was tied to the man above him. He knew that from now on, life would never be the same without him. So as Will leaned in to lock their lips once more, he desperately pulled him in, he tried taking in as much as possible. Feeling his shaky breath. Savoring his summer scent. Feeling every curve of his lips. His hands running down his back and shivers spreading on Will's body. His skin was so soft and heated by passion.

Will pulled away, moving down to his jawline, tracing it with his soft fingers, earning a contempt sigh from Nico. He then kissed him right behind the ear, making Nico go crazy. Will smiled down at the blushy mess he had made of his boyfriend. Nico looked back at him, exploring his lustful blue eyes. Admiring every slight change of color as he fell deeper into them. 

Will gazed lovingly into the dark brown eyes, looking at him as if he were the only person in the universe. They were so welcoming and made him feel safe. They were at home in each other's arms. Nico cupped Will's cheek with longing. He loved him more than his heart couldn’t handle it. 

Will pressed their foreheads together, enjoying the other's presence as they closed their eyes.

Nico once again drowned in Will's gaze as they opened their eyes. He smiled as his freckled nose softly brushed against his own. 

Nico whined impatiently. “Will…” he said once, with so much longing in his voice Will could hardly take it. He smiled back at the raven-haired man.

“Can I…” he said, cautiously slipping his hand under Nico’s shirt, lightly touching his skin.

“Yes… please yes” Nico sighed, his back arching to Will’s tender touch, his body aching for more.

Will ran his hands up Nico’s back gently, making his breath hitch.

“As you wish,” he said tenderly, pulling Nico’s shirt over his head. He kissed Nico’s neck lightly once more before moving down to his chest.

Nico’s breathing was ragged, his brain going haywire as Will lightly ran his hands along the sides of his body. He let out a groan.

“You’re gonna kill me,” he breathed as Will kissed his hip bone.  
Will smiled up at him, his eyes wide in mock innocence. Nico groaned.

“Stop teasing Will…” he let out, sitting up, running his hands under Will’s shirt as well, tossing his shirt aside and kissing him desperately, moving onto his lap.

Will let out a muffled laugh, pulling Nico closer so that they were pressed up against each other, he rested his hand at Nico’s hips, rubbing patterns into Nico’s skin.

Their breathing became even more labored as Nico pressed up against him, digging his nails into Will’s back. He couldn’t take much more of this.

“Will… I need you,” Nico breathed into Will’s ear, making Will’s entire body tingle.

Will chuckled, pushing Nico onto the bed once more.

A moan escaped Nico's mouth as Will fell on top of him.

"Oh...I forgot about the sound problem," Will teased as he slid his hand back down to Nico’s hips, watching as the paler man bit his lip to prevent another sound from escaping him.

“My neighbors didn’t enjoy our show last time that much…” Will teased, playing with the hem of Nico’s jeans.

“Fuck your neighbors,” Nico said, his voice shaking and barely audible as Will moved on top of him.


	9. Chapter 9

Will woke up the next morning, Nico laying on his chest. He looked so peaceful, he wanted to stay like that forever. He felt Nico’s chest rise and fall against his own, the warmth of his body against him felt amazing. He played with Nico’s soft dark hair, praying he wouldn’t wake up soon, but all good things must come to an end, so about ten minutes later, Nico started to squirm, and opened his eyes, sighing softly as he realized where he was.

He moved closer to Will, burying himself in Will’s arms, listening to his heartbeat. He didn’t want to leave, ever. He wanted to stay right there, safe, warm, loved, forever. He almost sobbed as he thought about what awaited him once he got up and left. He thought about everything that could go wrong. Ryan, that little rat, could have divulged his location, putting them both into danger, they could follow him here, they could easily have someone waiting outside the door for him at that very moment.

He pulled closer to Will, taking in the smell of summer and coffee, listening to his calm breathing, feeling his thumb rub soothing patterns into his back. 

“Good morning,” Will whispered, hugging Nico gently.

Nico mumbled something incoherent in response, melting into Will, who chuckled a bit, closing his eyes once more, enjoying the moment while it lasted, and sure enough, not long after, they were rudely interrupted by a notification on Nico’s phone.

They both grumbled as they disentangled from each other’s arms, sitting up and looking around the room. Nico spotted his phone on the floor.  
He got up and groggily walked towards it. His eyes widened when he saw that he had 52 missed phone calls and one message.

‘Get here. Now.’

He started panicking, gathering his belongings, trying to keep his breath steady. 

“Hey… what’s going on?” Will asked, putting a consoling hand on his back. Nico wanted to jump into his arms and never let go, but he had to leave. He didn’t have any professional clothing there, but by the looks of it, it didn’t really matter at that point. 

He shifted into work-mode, shutting out everything except for what he needed to accomplish, and that was getting to HQ as quickly as possible.

“Is… is everything okay?” Will asked cautiously.

“It’s fine,” Nico said harshly, not daring to face him.

“Hey, whatever is going on, I’m sure it will be-” 

“I SAID IT’S FINE!” Nico said firmly, turning on Will, his eyes cold and distant. Will took a step back, shocked by his tone, looking down at his feet, making himself as small as possible on instinct. That’s when Nico realized what he had done. His eyes filled with sorrow as he saw Will, afraid of him.

“No, Will… I’m sorry… I just, please…” he stumbled over his words, desperately trying to make it right.

“No, it’s ok, you… just… do what you need to do,” Will said meekly, not meeting Nico’s eyes.

“Y-yeah… do what I need to do…” Nico repeated quietly. But at that moment, nothing seemed more important than making it right with Will.

“I’m so sorry… I have to go… I’m sorry… I… I love you,” Nico said, trying to keep the tears out of his eyes as Will looked everywhere but at him.

Will shook his head in understanding, not giving Nico an answer, breaking his heart.

He took one last glance at Will, trying to memorize every inch of him, in case something would happen, before walking out of the room.

• • •

Will sat on the bed, looking at the floor in front of him. He wondered how he had gotten there. 

He couldn’t shake the image of Nico, looking at him so coldly, as if he meant nothing. Just like Ryan’s family. How did he know Nico wouldn’t turn on him as well? He got up and paced the room. 

His mind flooded with memories of all the times Nico had looked at him like he was the only person in the world, memories of how he smiled shyly and looked away blushing when their eyes met, memories of all the stupid jokes he would laugh at, but still, he couldn’t shake the creeping feeling inside him, telling him, that Nico could be taken away at the snap of a finger, replaced by the cruel, emotionless shadow he had witnessed firsthand.

He shuddered, thinking about all the things Nico must have done. ‘He didn’t want this, any of it.’ he told himself, but how could he be sure? No. He had to trust him. He loved him, and he didn’t want to lose him. His heart sank as he thought about their last parting. Nico had told him he loved him, the second time ever, and he hadn’t even responded. He wanted to call him and tell him, but he knew Nico had more important things to do, so he got dressed and went into the kitchen to make himself breakfast.

Will was sitting down with a sad bowl of cheerios when he heard a soft knock on the door.

He turned his head towards the source of the sound, confused as to who could be bothering him at seven in the morning.

“Nico?” he asked cautiously, standing up from the table and walking towards the door. No response.

“Nico is that you?” he asked a little louder this time.

"He’s not here. Open the door and we won't do anything to you," a deep voice with a slight Italian accent said.

Will's heart stopped beating for what felt like a million years. He stayed as quiet as possible, but his shaky breath was hard to hide.

"I won't repeat myself. Open the door. We only want to talk." The man said calmly.

Will rushed to his phone. He tried calling the police, but it didn't work.

"All communications are off. Now open the door before I change my mind on what I’m going to do with you," he said as if reading Will’s mind. 

Will stared at the door in a panic. He could make a scene, attract attention, but he knew from what Nico had told him, people like this didn't care about the lives of innocent bystanders. So he opened the door quietly, trying to keep himself from shaking to the sight of a burly man holding a gun to Ryan’s head. 

“Hello ‘Will…’ “ he said, imitating Nico's voice

• • •

Nico was in the backseat of a cab, heading toward HQ when it happened. He got a message from an anonymous number, as usual.

The meeting went well. Lights out at nine, keep you posted on the music. Fly caught the fever, survived. J 

Nico looked down at the message and read it over and over again. His heart sank. If lights were really out at nine, that meant their tech guy had sold them out. And if they got hacked… He closed the message hurriedly. As he suspected, the 52 calls and the message weren’t there. His heart started beating fast in his chest. 

What was going on? He had left Will, unprotected. But they couldn’t know about him, could they? Not this fast, not this soon...

He racked his brain for details of last night's events. Ryan. He must have sold them out, and Nico was stupid enough to fall right into their trap, leaving Will alone in a location known by an untrustworthy spy, without any means of defense. His eyes started to fill with tears and his breathing became labored.

“TURN AROUND!” He yelled so suddenly at the car driver that he jumped in his seat. The man looked around at him incredulously, but Nico didn’t care. “Turn around and go back to where you picked me up as fast as possible and you can keep this,” Nico said desperately, throwing a stack of hundred dollar bills onto the shotgun seat. The driver stared at the money in shock, almost crashing into the car in front of them.

“NOW!” Nico yelled impatiently, running a hand through his hair, blinking the tears out of his eyes as his entire body started to shake. If something happened to Will… it was all his fault. He stifled a sob as he thought of how he had left. Without even making it right. He dug his nail into his palms nervously as they waded their way through the morning traffic.

He thought about calling for backup, but he knew that if they were still there and saw an entire team enter the apartment, they would shoot Will on the spot.

He remembered Will pushing the door open on their way back to his apartment. He had left the door unlocked when he went down onto the street. He had left the door unlocked.

Nico felt sick. He couldn’t even breathe at the thought of something happening to Will.

• • •

Nico hopped out of the cab, not even bothering to say goodbye to the driver, and sprinted back towards Will’s apartment.

He prayed to God that Will would still be there, safe and sound, getting ready to go to his morning shift, but with every step he took, the sinking feeling in his stomach got worse and worse, to the point that he could hardly keep running, but he had to.

As he reached the entrance to Will’s apartment building, it was open wide. Nico’s head started to spin and he staggered back, his eyes widening. He didn’t want to see what was waiting for him upstairs. He was shaking uncontrollably and he couldn’t keep his tears back any longer. He let out a sob as tears came rushing down his cheeks.

“No. No no no no no…” he mumbled as the full realization of what was happening dawned on him. He bounded up the stairs.

“Please, no…” he said to himself, his voice breaking, feeling like someone was pressing down on his chest. In his delusional state, he tripped and fell onto the stairs, but he got back up, desperate to reach Will’s apartment. 

He imagined opening it, and seeing Will, turning around in shock to see him, but smiling at him lovingly, but that reality was fading away with every second. Will’s smile was disappearing before his eyes.

He reached the door. It was slightly cracked. ‘No, this is not happening, not this soon, not like this’ he told himself, finding the strength to push the door open, to find a dead body laying on the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

Nico’s heart stopped and he fell to the floor, too shocked to let out a single noise. He looked at the dead body, lying in a heap in front of him. 

He stared at it, not able to comprehend what he was seeing, but he slowly began to realize. Will. Will was dead. He wasn’t coming back. He was laying, face down on the floor. 

Nico stopped breathing for a minute. He looked at the body once more, but this time he had to look away. He sank to the floor, curled up into himself, sob after sob escaping him, as the dead body lay before him. He didn’t even bother shutting the door, he just lay in the doorway of the apartment, wishing he was dead as well, wishing everything would go away. There was no point in living anymore. He had allowed himself to really care about someone for the first time since his mother and sister died, and this is where it led them. He had killed Will. It was all his fault.

Nico hugged himself tight, remembering, not even an hour ago, he had been laying in Will’s arms. Safe. Warm. At home. It was all gone.

After a few minutes, Nico kicked the door shut and crawled towards Will’s body. He wanted to hold him in his arms, one last time, he wanted to see his face, his beautiful golden hair… But as he got closer, he realized something was wrong. Will’s hair didn’t shimmer in the sunlight, it was more of a dirty blond, then Will’s golden curls. His clothes looked shaggy and worn down, compared to Will’s bright colors. 

As Nico reached the body, he carefully turned it around, taking a shaky breath. He almost screamed. Looking up at him, was Ryan’s face, his eyes still open, but lifeless. He had taken a bullet straight to the head.

Nico scrambled back in horror and shock. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

He looked around the room in a panic, when he spotted a camera and a letter on the coffee table. He scrambled towards it, grabbing the camera and going to the gallery. There was only one video. Nico pressed play as fast as he could.

“Tell us where he is, and nothing will happen to you,” the man said off-camera.  
Will was lying on the floor, barely conscious, his face bloody and bruised.  
“That’s what you keep saying, but you’ve already kicked me… and punched me, and cut me… so I don’t believe you,” Will said, laughing deliriously, looking at something a little above the camera with an insane grin.  
A foot came into view, kicking Will straight in the stomach, making him spit up a little blood.

Nico sobbed at the sight of them hurting Will, he covered his mouth with his hand as more tears leaked from his eyes.

“I’ve had enough of you. Tell us where the fuck di Angelo is right now!” the man hissed.  
“I told you, I don’t know! And even if I did, did you really think that I would tell you?” Will asked incredulously.  
The man shoved a gun in his face, but Will just laughed.  
“You can’t kill me, without me you have nothing, you don’t know where he is, you don’t have anyone for ransom, you need me alive. And we both know it, so stop acting like your threats have any meaning,” Will said, smiling up at the man, amused.

Nico couldn’t let out a delirious laugh. Will, even with a gun in his face, couldn’t help being a smartass.

The man snarled, kicking Will once more in frustration. Nico knew what was coming but he couldn’t look away.  
“Tell me what the fuck you know or I’ll shoot him,” the man said, aiming the gun at Ryan, whom he had tossed into view, gagged and bruised.  
Will’s eyes widened in horror.  
“Y-you can’t! He has nothing to do with this, he helped you!” Will said, desperation in his eyes, suddenly back to his senses. The man scoffed.  
“You think I give a fuck?! Now tell me where to find your little boy-toy before I shoot this pathetic piece of shit’s brains out,” the man said, a victorious tone in his voice.  
Will started to shake, he looked at Ryan, who was looking back at him with pleading eyes and then back at the man, and then, for a split second, right into the camera, right at Nico, with so much hurt in his eyes.  
“I’m not telling you anything,” Will said firmly, but his voice was quavering. The man set down the camera and walked over to Ryan, pressing the gun against his temple. Will looked away, letting out an anguished sob.  
“Look at him,” the man said, but Will kept his eyes shut, shaking like a leaf. “Look at him right now or I swear to God I will shoot him,” the man said, and Will did as he said, looking right at Ryan, who was silently pleading with him with his eyes. A tear slid down Will’s cheek.  
“I’m sorry,” he told Ryan, clenching his eyes shut once more.  
Ryan let out a muffled scream before the low sound of a muffled gunshot rang from the room.  
Will let out a heartbreaking sob, tears leaking from his eyes, his breathing unsteady, shaking more than Nico thought physically possible.  
“Get up fag, you are going to serve well as bait,” the man spat in Will’s face, dragging him to his feet. He looked empty, his eyes shattered like glass as he walked past Ryan, laying on the floor.  
“You better come quickly if you ever want to see “Will…” again,” the man said, seemingly to no one, imitating the way Nico had said Will’s name the night before.

This sent a cold feeling through Nico’s body as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

The video ended and Nico threw the camera across the room in anger, putting his face in his hands. Will was alive, but they had him. Will was in danger and it was all his fault. He reached for the letter on the table, expecting to see an address, coordinates, anything to help him find him, but all that was written there was: “Guess he loves you back after all.”


	11. Chapter 11

Nico searched every nook and cranny of the apartment to confirm his suspicion. His head was spinning. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, they would have bugged the place. They heard everything.

He rummaged through Will’s bookshelf, crying out in exasperation and despair. Nothing. 

He looked around the apartment, when his eyes landed on the ceiling light, he laughed in insane amusement. That was way too obvious.

He dragged a chair to the center of the room, and sure enough, when he looked inside, the microphone was there, next to the lightbulb, as if mocking him of his stupidity.

He ripped it out, throwing it on the floor and stepping on it. He sank to the floor once more, gripping his hair tight, trying to calm himself down, but he couldn’t. They were probably torturing the person he cared most about at this exact moment. How could he ever let that happen?

He knew they wouldn’t kill Will if he complied with their requests. The problem was, their demands might be impossible to meet.

But he had to make it right, whatever it would take, he had to get Will back. 

• • •

Will returned to consciousness in a dark basement. It smelt like turned milk and alcohol. 

He guessed that he had passed out for approximately ten hours when he looked at the golden afternoon light coming from a locked window.

His entire body was aching and he could hardly move, but even then, he could only think of one thing.

The sound of the silenced gunshot that killed Ryan still resonated in his ears  
He saw his pleading eyes before him every time he closed his eyes, reminding him of what had happened. What he had let happen.

The light of his eyes fading as he collapsed onto the floor. His muffled scream… The look of forgiveness he had given Will before he went limp and Will was dragged out of his home.

He remembered nothing after that.

Will examined the room. He tried to get up but found that his legs were tied together and his arms were chained to a metal pipe. He had no way of getting out. He let out an anguished sob, tears streaming down his face as he struggled uselessly against his binds.

He heard footsteps coming his way and panicked. He went limp once more, hoping he could pretend he was still unconscious. 

Someone opened the door.

“Is he awake?” Will heard a woman’s voice say.

He heard someone approaching him and he had to do all he could to keep himself from scrambling back. 

The person stopped in front of him, putting their fingers to his neck and checking his pulse. They were breathing in his face, the stench of alcohol almost making him gag.

The person pulled away again, but soon after he felt a blinding pain in his face. He spluttered, his eyes opening wide.

“Well he is now…” a second voice sneered from up above him. Will could only just make it out through the ringing in his ears.

"Listen carefully. I will tell you this one time. And you will tell the truth. Or I'm afraid I will have to change my methods…" a tall red-haired woman said, slowly pulling a long and sharp knife out of her pocket. Will felt sick as he noticed some dried blood on the edge.

"I've already told you. I don't know where he is. He could be anywhere. Maybe on an island, millions of kilometers away.” Will muttered. The woman kneeled down to him.

"Maybe this will clear your memory," She whispered, slowly pressing the knife to Will's throat, enjoying the terror in his eyes. “Wouldn’t want me to ruin that pretty face of yours, would you?” She smirked, digging the blade into his skin, drawing a few drops of blood.

Will took a strangled breath. “I don’t know anything and even if I did, I would never tell you!” he said once more, giving the woman such a nasty look, she raised her eyebrow, impressed.

"While your resilience is admirable, it’s useless. I’m sure he’ll come to get you, he ‘needs you’...” she laughed coldly

Will started shaking in fury. He spit in her face. 

“You… you….” he said, taking deep breaths. He couldn’t form a coherent sentence. All his morals about never hurting a fellow living-being went out the window with her taunt. He wanted nothing more but to make her pay. Make her hurt. 

He wanted to see Nico. His smile. He wanted to hold him in his arms, yet here he was, in a dark, disgusting basement, being made fun of for loving Nico more than anything. He felt sick.

She wiped her face. "It didn't have to go this way" her voice was as cold as the knife she held to his cheek, leaving a bloody line.

She trailed it down to his neck, leaving a deep gash in his tanned skin. Will screamed in agony.

"Why so sensitive?" She mused. "I'm just getting started." 

She slowly pressed the knife against his fingertips. Will was too overwhelmed to make any sound. Dark spots appeared before his eyes as a shudder went through his body. Dark red blood sagged from his hand, forming a small baleful puddle on the dirty floor.

"I want to hear your cute little screams." She demanded, a slight grin on her face as she stabbed his knee, obtaining what she asked for.

Will felt her breath against his neck, making his skin crawl. She got closer to him, but he shoved her away with his shoulder.

Will looked up at her through his pain, dizzy from blood loss. She had an insane grin on her lips.

“Speak. Or do you want me to continue?” she cooed, looking down at what she had made of him.

Will kept silent, there was no point in reasoning. He was sure that he would end up bleeding out right there, never see the sky again.

“SPEAK!” she roared, slashing at his upper arm, earning another cry of pain. 

“I… I don’t… know…” Will said through his labored breathing, struggling to keep conscious.

“Oh come on “Will…” be a good boy for me..” she mocked.

"You're pathetic," he mumbled, hot liquid streaming down his face. For a moment, a look of shock replaced the woman's cold expression, before she smiled widely.

"And why is that so?" She laughed, pitying the man for his stupidity. 

"You make fun… you think you are above all this… you can only dream of having something even slightly similar to ours." He breathed, looking at her straight in the eyes, using the last of his strength.

Her expression was one of rage, but when she opened her mouth a hollow laugh escaped her lips.

"You're such an imbecile it's cute," she started, her harsh hand on his bloody cheek. "But weaklings like you disgust me." 

She got up, nodding to the other man as they both got out.

Will slumped back against the pipe, his breathing ragged and his vision blurry. He listened to the sound of his heart beating fast in his chest, as his consciousness slipped and everything went dark.


	12. Chapter 12

Nico took a quick shower. The freezing water helped him regain control. He hugged himself, desperately trying to imitate the way Will’s arms wrapped around him. The feeling of safety and love.

When he got out, he put on his usual black business suit. He couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror.

Nico called his driver once he had securely shifted back to his cold, emotionless demeanor.

"You know where to take me,” he said blandly as he hopped in the back seat and the old man drove him to the place the police would give anything to find: the Casa Nostra headquarters.

• • •

Nico got out of the car and walked over to a simple townhouse on the West side of the city. He unlocked the front door and entered a bright hallway. He entered the living room.

A man in a black suit similar to Nico’s looked up at him and nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to his laptop.

Nico walked over to the basement door, down the stairs to a room filled with old wine bottles and a few old pieces of furniture. He pushed away a mattress to reveal a small door and pulled it open, revealing a broom closet filled with cleaning supplies and boxes.  
He casually stepped towards a large box labeled “FRAGILE” and opened it carefully, revealing yet another trap door, leading to the bunker.

When he climbed down the ladder, his inner circle was already there, waiting for him.

• • •

Will was woken up by a blinding light. He tried to scramble back but hit the pipe he was chained to with the back of his head, groaning.

He squinted up, blinking, making out three faces in the dark behind the flashlight that was being held to his face. Memories started flooding back. He was having a panic attack. Ryan’s desperate look, he redhead’s evil grin, bleeding… all flashing before his eyes.

“Calm him,” a familiar voice said.

He felt rough hands grab his arm, steadying it. He tried to pull away, watching, terrified, as the man he vaguely remembered from his meeting with the redhead pulled out a needle. His eyes went wide. He started to writhe, desperate to get away, tears of terror streaming down his face. He struggled against the man’s grasp, but it was no use. 

“Keep fucking still I don’t care if I miss,” the man said and Will did as he said, trying to keep sobs from escaping him.

When the man was done with him, he backed away to join Redhead and a man he didn’t recognize. 

He felt himself going weak, his mind at ease. He smiled. It all seemed so funny to him.

He watched with a grin as Redhead approached him with a look of triumph on her face.

“Now talk pretty boy. Tell us what you know about Nico di Angelo.

• • •

"I understand, but is it necessary to save him? This could do us more harm than good. Risking our men for one person?"

“Are you questioning me?” Nico said coldly, with his emotionless voice.

The blonde man shivered." No! Of course not… I'd never do that, sir" he muttered, looking at his feet.

“So remember your place, Grace,” Nico said harshly. 

"Noted," he breathed.

Nico knew he was being unreasonable. Jason was the only person he really trusted in the Casa Nostra and he knew he was right, but he didn’t care. Will was too innocent, too important.

He had to find him, no matter what.

"So I thought of looking in the most obvious places first since they'd think it's too obvious for us to go there," Jason said, nervously scratching his scalp.

Nico eyed him warily, scanning the faces of the rest of the people in the room, looking for any sign of deception. He couldn’t trust them, not with this. If any one of them had ulterior motives of any kind… He shook those thoughts away.

"Uh, yes. Good idea. Send two men to our friends on ‘three oh seven’. Tell them to check if everything is going according to our agreement, report on anything suspicious happening. Understood?"

"Yes sir,” he said, walking out to make some quick phone calls to transfer the orders.

• • •

Will stared at her before erupting into a fit of laughter

“Well… he is secretly such a geek. He has seen every single fantasy movie ever and is such a sucker for Greek Mythology it’s hilarious.”

The men exchanged confused looks and the woman narrowed her eyes.

“He loves when I randomly hold his hand, he’s such a softie… Ooooh! This is a good one! Did you know that he played the piano? Like… a really long time… gods I really want to hear him play sometime, that would be awes-“

He got interrupted by a slap to his face, making him fall to the floor. He winced.

“What was that for?!?!” he pouted. The woman looked like she was going to murder him, making him laugh even harder.

“I MEANT WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CASA NOSTRA!!!” She spat at him.

“Isn’t that mafia in Italian?” he asked, snickering.

“Yes! What do you know about it and Nico di Angelo’s connection to it?!?!” she said, clearly getting impatient.

Will looked shocked for a bit before letting out a nervous laugh. He couldn’t help himself. Why was this lady so uptight? Why was she so angry? She could have asked right away. 

“Uhhhh… he’s like the leader right?” he said, but immediately burst into laughter once more at the thought. Nico. His Nico. The tiny little angel that got excited over Star Wars and laughed shyly when he would kiss him on the cheek unexpectedly, who was 3 sizes too small for his old minuscule sweaters… Nico leading the mafia... It was hilarious.

“Yes! Yes! What else?” the woman asked, finally getting somewhere. When Will finally got over the absurdity of the thought, he scrunched up his face in thought.

“Uh, he told me not to get involved. Told me there were some bad guys or whatever that would try to hurt me or something…” he said when a sudden realization dawned on him in his drugged state.

“Wait. Is that you guys???? Woah! Well, you aren’t that bad! I mean… Yeah,” he spluttered.

The woman looked at him, disappointed and angry. “That’s it?!?” She asked indignantly.

“Thought this was supposed to make him talk!” she turned on the man, who held his hands up defensively.

“Calm yourself! Look at him! He’s totally out of it! He must actually not know anything!” the man said, making the woman hiss in frustration, turning back to Will with fury, who was looking over at them with mild curiosity.

“Fine,” she spat, swinging the door open and exiting.

The man who hadn’t spoken yet looked at Will, intrigued. He moved forward, crouching down next to him.

“What would you say is di Angelo’s biggest weakness? If you wanted to, how would you hurt him? What would make him as miserable as possible?” he asked, a glint in his eyes.

Will opened his mouth to speak

• • •

"So?" Nico asked impatiently as Jason came back with the reports.

"They didn't find anything. Nothing suspicious either,” he said, quickly looking up at the pale man sitting on his desk before him, staring back at his feet.

"They didn't search well enough," Nico said calmly.

"Sir, they looked everywhere-"

"THEY HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING" Nico yelled, slamming his fist on the desk, clenching his eyes shut. Jason took a step back by instinct.

Nico breathed in heavily, peacing his anger.

"Keep looking. Everywhere, anywhere. Don't come back to me before you find something. Understood?” Nico said, receiving a hurried nod in response. He dismissed him.

Jason did his best not to run and walked at a normal pace out of the room.

As soon as the blonde man got out, Nico angrily threw everything on his desk to the floor.

He anxiously grasped his hair and started pacing the room. What if… what if he never found Will? What if, when they realize he can’t provide them with any information, they no longer find any use in keeping him alive?

A quiet frustrated sob came out of his mouth, but he didn't care if anyone heard him. 

He looked outside the window on the ceiling, the peaceful late afternoon light succeeded to a cloudless night. He decided that taking a walk around the city would clear his mind.

• • • 

Nico walked past a Starbucks. His heart aching as he remembered how he used to come to a similar coffee shop at the same time every day just to see the freckled man. All of that was gone.

He sat on the curb, the intrigued looks he got from strangers going by leaving him completely unbothered.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He took a few seconds to calm his breath before answering the call.

"Sir, what did the man look like? I think we have a track" a deep voice said, probably Beckendorf.

Nico jumped back up, a spark of hope in his heart.

"He was…" Nico furiously racked his brain. He remembered how the camera level was above the bookshelf, which meant the man was approximately six feet.  
"He was tall. Six feet I think…"   
He remembered a flash of the dark hairy and muscular arms holding the gun to Will.   
"Black hair, muscular. A deep voice with an Italian accent. Did you find anything?" He asked desperately.

"No, sorry… We got everything right except for the accent… Sorry for bothering you. We'll keep looking." He hung up.

Nico stared at his phone with pure rage. He resisted the urge to throw it to the ground, putting his face in his hands once more. He felt like he was going to break, his heart ached, his breathing was shallow… all he could think about was Will. His dorky grin was replaced with a scream of agony. He couldn’t take it.

A boy around 14 approached him, hesitantly tapping his shoulder. The pale man looked up at him with an expressionless face. He raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me for overhearing your conversation, but I think I know who you were talking about. My name's Harley."


	13. Chapter 13

Nico had no idea how he had ended up here, negotiating an exchange with a fourteen-year-old. He thought back to the first time he had ever entered Will’s coffee shop.

• • • 

Nico had gone three days without sleeping and was in desperate need of caffeine. He felt like he would fall asleep if he closed his eyes for longer than a second, so as he stumbled into a random coffee shop at exactly 8 AM, he wasn’t paying attention to anything.

“One Americano,” he blurted out at the man behind the register before he could go through the standard coffee shop pleasantries.

“Uh...okay? Would you like some sugar or…” the man said, sounding a bit confused. Nico really didn’t have time for this.

“No, nothing, just… hurry,” he said, trying not to sound like he was going to die any second.

The man raised his eyebrows but quickly let Nico pay and made his drink.

“One Americano for Nico?” the man said cautiously, remembering his previous encounter with him at the register.

Nico’s heart started beating fast. Shit. In his delusional state, he had given his real name. What the hell was he thinking?! He grabbed his coffee and in his hurry to get out of there, accidentally left a ten dollar tip.

• • • 

The next day, at exactly 7:59 AM, Nico found himself in front of the same coffee shop. He scoffed a bit. Though he had gotten a good five hours of sleep, it wouldn’t do him any bad to have a coffee.

He entered the coffee shop, thinking no one would remember him, so his slip-up wouldn’t matter, but as he approached the register, the same man was standing behind it.

‘You have got to be kidding me’ he thought to himself as the man’s eyes widened at the sight of him.

“Hey, uh… this might sound weird but um… you left a ten dollar tip yesterday? And well… you looked like you were in a hurry so I felt bad for taking it because you obviously wouldn’t give a bigger tip than the cost of the drink and I just… well… here” the man said, handing him a ten-dollar bill.

Nico stared at him. Anyone else would have taken the money and been happy with it, but this person, not knowing whether or not Nico would ever come back, felt guilty for taking more money than he deserved. It was quite endearing. Especially since he dealt with people who didn’t care about anything but themselves daily, it was nice to see there were still nice people in the world.

For the first time in a long time, Nico genuinely smiled.

“Thanks… that’s… really nice of you, but it’s okay, just keep it… for today as well I guess…” Nico mumbled.

“Well, you’re going to have to come back at least two more times for this to be fair,” the man said.

“Well, maybe I will,” Nico answered, another smile stretching across his face. 

The man cleared his throat. “So… drink?”

“Americano,” Nico answered plainly, still smiling a bit. 

“For… Nico, right?” the man asked as he started to prepare his drink. Nico’s stomach squirmed, but he didn’t want to lie, not to this person, who seemed like the most honest a person could get, so he shook his head in agreement.

As the man handed him his drink, Nico looked at him properly. He had blond, slightly curling hair, tan skin with many freckles and an infectious smile, and a nametag. Will.

“Well, see you tomorrow I guess,” Nico said, looking away.

“Yeah… see you,” Will said, his smile brightening as Nico exited the coffee shop.

• • • 

“And what would you want in exchange for this information?” Nico asked Harley. They were sitting in one of the Casa Nostra’s many houses. Jason and a few men were standing beside him, watching Harley carefully, but he didn’t even seem fazed.

“I want out. When I was eleven, my mom had cancer, and my brother and I… we needed money badly, so we got in, thinking we would help out a bit, earn money and that would be the end of it… But the longer we stayed, the more… shady jobs we had to do, and when we refused, they threatened our mother. She was in the hospital and we had no choice, so we started delivering drugs. And now, we’re in too deep. They have way too much on us. We just want a normal life, with mom. I just want a normal childhood,” Harley said quickly, barely taking a break to breathe.

Nico looked at the boy. His eyes were so full of hope. Reminding him of himself when he was younger. He would have done anything for someone to help him get out…

“Then we have come to an agreement. You help us find this person, we help you and your brother out,” Nico said in a monotone voice. Harley let out a nervous laugh of relief. “But. If you try to double-cross us or scam us in any way, the deal is off. Understood?” Nico added harshly. The boy nodded.

• • •

“My brother should be there as well, so he could help us from the inside. He’s really good with hacking security…” Harley said as they devised a plan on how to get into the warehouse Harley had told them about unnoticed.

“How do we know he’ll help us, how do we know you’re not just trying to lure us into a trap?” Jason asked, looking at Harley warily, but he just shrugged.

“You don’t I guess, but what other choice do you have? I bet you don’t have other leads…” Harley said, laughing under his breath.

One of Nico’s men stepped forward but Nico put a hand up to stop him.

“You’re right. We’ll contact your brother.”

It looked like many people were about to argue back, so Nico added “That’s decided.” Harley smiled mischievously. Nico Jason and Harley moved towards the communications room to make an untraceable call. 

The phone rang for some time before it was answered and they heard a bit of rustling before they heard a clicking sound. Nico looked down at Harley, confused, who was staring down at the phone, his mouth open.

“It’s morse,” Harley said. “It’s morse! Quick, get me a paper!” he exclaimed, grabbing a pen from the table.

Nico watched in wonder as Harley scribbles down encryption. About five minutes later, there was a simple message on the paper and silence on the other line.

Harley if it's you send a message

Harley smiled down at the paper before knocking his own message on the table. When he was done, there was silence on the other line once more before they heard a laugh of relief.

“Harley! Thank god… I’m with mama, you scared the shit out of me!” a voice with a slight Texan accent said on the other line.  
“Sorry Leo, but this is urgent, I found a way to get out of this mess. For good,” Harley said, beaming. He was holding the phone close to himself, as though it was his lifeline. 

“What? What are you talking about?” Leo asked, laughing a bit.

“I… if I help these people, they’ll help us get out of this,” Harley said, but this did not calm Leo down at all.

“Harley? Harley where the hell are you! You have to get out right now, these people… they don't help. They’ll just suck you into their own mess. That’s how it works. Don’t trust them,” Leo said. Harley looked around at them and for the first time since they met, he looked afraid. Nico shook his head and extended his arm for Harley to give him the phone. He hesitated but ended up handing it to him.

“Harley, Harley are you there-” 

“Yes, he’s here, and he’s safe, and so will you and your mother be if you cooperate,” Nico said. 

“How do we know that. How do we know you aren’t just going to use us and get rid of us?” Leo asked. Nico felt really bad for them. They didn’t deserve this, but… once you’re in, you never get out. That’s how it worked. But it didn’t have to. He could make that choice. He could choose to let them go, no strings attached. And he would. Because he would do anything to be given that opportunity.

“You don’t I guess, but what other choice do you have?” Nico said, making Leo laugh lightly.

“Harley has already gone to business hasn’t he?” he asked, sounding exhausted. “Fine. Fine, I’ll help you. I just hope you’re not a monster like the rest of them,” Leo said, before switching to an energetic demeanor.

“So, what y'all want me to do?” he asked, making Harley smile.


	14. Chapter 14

Will woke up, laying on a soft surface, his head throbbing. He felt like he was on fire. He groaned and sat up. He was on a hospital bed in a small room with no windows, a lone lightbulb illuminating the room, casting shadows upon the brick walls, and a lone sink on the far side of the room. 

drip drip drip

The sound of the water was making his skin crawl. He tried to get up, turn the water off, but his legs were like jello, he could barely move them, not to mention the walk to the sink.  
He lay back down, hoping to fall asleep again, make everything go away, at least for a little while, but he couldn’t.

drip drip drip

The sound was too distracting. He rolled over, staring at the low ceiling, following the cracks in it to keep himself distracted.

drip drip drip

With every drop of water the sound seemed to get louder and louder, until, after the four hundredth drip Will counted, it sounded as though someone was beating a drum inside his head. He started to sob. Listening to the steady drip of water, slowly driving him insane. He didn’t know how much time passed. He just stared at the ceiling, wishing this would stop, hoping each drop would be the last.

drip drip drip

Will pulled at his hair, clenching his eyes shut, he put his fingers over his ears, but he could still hear it, he didn’t know if it was in his head or not, but he didn’t care, he just wanted it to stop.

drip drip drip

“STOP IT!” he yelled at no one in particular, but his voice was weak. His entire body felt weak, and his rational thoughts started to slip as he listened. He imagined, with every drip, someone coming closer. 

He imagined someone standing in the dark corner of the room, watching him silently as he went insane. He kept his eyes on the ceiling, his heartbeat accelerating, his breathing ragged. What felt like days later, all he could think about was the steady drip, the door opened and closed quickly a few times, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was for the water to turn off

drip drip drip

He laughed a bit as the next drop hit the bottom of the sink. He didn’t know or care why he was there, but he was, and so was the sound.

Someone entered the room, he didn’t even bother to look at who it was until suddenly, there was silence. 

He turned his head as fast as possible, almost getting a heart attack. He could still hear the sound in his head. The silence was eerie, he almost wished the dripping would come back.

It was her. The redhead. That’s when everything came flooding back. 

What had he done? He had betrayed Nico. He had given them what they wanted. His eyes filled with tears once more and the lady smirked.

“Scared?” she asked, taking out her knife, but Will didn’t react. He thought about Nico. He wondered what he was doing. He hoped he wasn’t trying to find him. Not after what he had told them. He deserved to die alone there. 

She came closer to him, he kept his eyes on a crack in the ceiling right above him, but he saw her face in his peripheral vision, her slightly crooked nose scrunched at the sight of him. 

He wondered how he must look. He had no idea how long he had been there. It didn’t matter. All he knew was, he had to get out and warn Nico. Nico. He felt a tiny bit of relief at the thought of him but was immediately weighed down by guilt once more. What had he done?

“I suppose I should thank you. After all, without you, we would never have come up with such a good plan,” she said, before roughly pushing him into a sitting position. His head spun.

Nico. They were going to hurt Nico. He couldn’t let that happen. And worse, it would all be his fault. He started to shake with fury, his blood boiling.

"Don't waste your energy raging. We’ll take care of you. Can’t say the same thing about di Angelo though," she said, her signature smirk printed on her face. She opened her mouth to speak once, more, but Will had had enough. He was filled with adrenaline. 

In the blink of an eye, he spun around, tackling her to the floor. He didn’t care anymore, he just had to get out. She yelped in surprise and pain as she hit the ground. He quickly got up and ran to the door, slamming it shut. He heard her banging on it from the other side. His eyes were wide, he had no idea what he had just done and how he had done it. 

He looked around in panic but there was no one there, so he just ran. He ran down a narrow hallway that seemed to have no end, lined with doors. He reached an equally narrow staircase and bound it up, ignoring the aching pain in his legs. His heart was racing as he reached a metal door at the top. He slammed down on the door handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. Of course, it was locked. He kicked it in frustration.

He ran back down the stairs, he didn’t have time to think about the steadily decreasing probability of finding an exit. This might be his only chance.

He ran down the hallway, back to the room where he had been. The lady was still banging on the door. He swung the door open and she fell onto the floor. She looked up at him, a trickle of blood running from her hair down her forehead.

Will was horrified. What had he done? He had hurt a fellow human being. He instinctively reached over to help her, but she used this to grab his leg and make him fall to the floor as well. She tried to get up herself but he wasn’t going to let that happen. He pinned her arm to the floor, snatching her knife away from her.

“You are going to help me escape,” he muttered. Even to himself, he sounded insane, but he knew he had the upper hand at that moment and was willing to use this.

She just laughed at him. “Or what? You’re too weak to actually threaten me. You’re not a wolf, like me, or your precious boyfriend. You’re a fucking lamb. So, let me go, or we both get killed,” she said casually as if this was an everyday situation.

Will stared at her, his eyes wide.

“You are going to help me escape,” he repeated louder, pressing down on her arm, making her wince.

“Look blondie, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Do you think I could just walk out of here with a prisoner, no questions asked? If you did, then you’re even dumber than you look,” she said, sounding bored.

“Don’t call me that,” Will hissed.

The lady rolled her eyes.

Will heard the door at the top of the stairs open. He jumped to his feet, knife in hand. The lady sat up on the floor, rubbing her arm, a look of mild discomfort on her face. 

Four men stroke the door open, the violent sound making Will's head spin. 

"What the hell?" A tall man shouted, looking down at the small dark puddle around the redhead.

"It's alright, Ethan. Our...guest couldn't stay still," She mumbled, trying to get up, falling right back on the floor a second later.

'Ethan' pinned Will on the wall, his arm on his throat.

"Listen, we don't have time for your little tantrums. Your help has gained you our favors. Another incident like that and the word 'favor' will take another meaning. Understood?" He groaned, looking straight into the sky blue eyes, now overwhelmed with terror and widened by the lack of air. He let go of him, considering the blond man got the message.

"Get her fixed," he coldly ordered the other men. Will shivered at how he said 'fixed'. As if she were nothing but a broken toy. Was everyone working with the mafia heartless? Did Nico ever act like this? The thought made him want to throw up.

‘No,’ he told himself. Even though his emotionless mask led him to believe he didn't, Will knew Nico cared about people.

A muscular blond man with a scar under his right eye tried to get the woman on her feet. She shook him off, muttering that she was fine on her own before falling on him. She groaned and accepted his help.

"Oh," Ethan added before stepping out of the door. "Don't forget to get him chained."

Will was gasping for air, still feeling the strong man's grip on his throat as they tied him up, As they left, he sank to the floor. They left him alone. Alone with his thoughts. Alone with his guilt. Alone with his shame.

He hopelessly tried to get himself out of the chains. After another failed attempt, he looked down, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, losing all hope.

"You will be the end of me" Nico had once groaned as he teased him.

And he was. Nico Di Angelo was in danger. And it was his fault.

He didn't remember the moment he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered, tears were streaming down his cheeks and then the darkness took everything away, drowning in a death-like sleep

• • •

Will was running as fast as he could. From what? He didn't know. But he had to put as much distance between him and whatever was chasing him. 

He tripped on a fallen branch and bruised his knee on a rock in his haste of getting up. The creature growled in cold amusement. 

Will found himself on the edge of a cliff. His breathing was ragged and his heart was as racing as his anxious horrifying thoughts of what could happen if the creature caught him, which was most likely to happen.

"All this is stupid. What do you want from me?" Will yelled in a quivering voice.

“I want you,” he heard Nico’s voice say faintly. Will allowed himself to really look at him. The shadowy dark mist around the man was facing away, revealing the scrappy, pale, and beaten body of Nico di Angelo. 

"N-Nico?" He muttered as the wounded man fell on his knees. A dark puddle forming around his chest, blood getting out of his heart in a lethargic fall

“Why did you do this to me, Will?” Nico said, his voice weak, barely audible.

“N-no. No. No, please. Please, I didn’t… I would never…” he breathed, crouching down next to Nico. He tried to pull him close, help him, but he was disappearing into nothingness in front of him until all that was left was Nico’s blood on his hand.

• • • 

Will woke up once more, screaming, to a steady drip, drip, drip of the sink.


	15. Chapter 15

“You have access to their security system?” Jason asked incredulously. They heard a scoff on the other side of the line.

“Well, officially I don’t, but since I’m part of the tech team, it was fairly easy for me to hack in. For a criminal organization, their system is surprisingly lacking in any precautionary measures… so, long story short I shut off their power, and with access to the security system, I can guide you through and block their access to it,” Leo said quickly. Jason looked around confused while Harley nodded in understanding.

Nico furrowed his eyebrows.

“So what you’re saying is, you're the only way we can get in and out. And we have no guarantee that you will keep your work,” he said blandly, but panic was boiling inside him.

"Yup," he said, not even looking up from his laptop. They had brought Leo in the headquarters because even with the best-secured communication line, there could always be someone listening. He would not let their plan fail because of a technical mistake.

"Okay, so there's this fake wall next to a locked emergency exit. So useless. Why did they bother to use advanced security locks if the wall could be broken by a well-placed punch? It’s honestly an insult to the technology… Anyway, we'll drop you there. Harley and I will have already shut off power, unfortunately, the cameras and connected to a generator in case power is lost… but to your advantage, I helped install those cameras, so I can hack into the security system and deny them access to it.” Leo finished and looked up at them expectantly. They stared at him for a bit before nodding.

“So, we’ll know what’s going on and they won’t,” Nico said, more as a demand than a question. He couldn’t let them see how desperate he was for this plan to work.

“Exactly.” Leo nodded, looking Nico up and down with distaste. It was apparent he didn’t trust them, and Nico wasn’t surprised. 

“That’s genius!” Jason exclaimed before he saw Nico’s warning expression and shut up again.

“So, you’ll guide us once we are in…” Nico said, shaking his head in understanding and narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, after Harley and I disable their security, your dudes will crash into their ridiculously expensive car. Like, why waste so much money on something like this? Isn't Prius enough?-"

"Valdez" Nico snapped, losing patience. Who knew what kind of things they were doing to Will… He didn’t have time for this

"Sorry. So, as I said, they'll crash into their car, not only covering the sound of the wall breaking but also attracting everyone's attention to the front of the house. Leaving the base unprotected. You'll probably find a few guards though. Nothing to worry about. So, at that moment, all you'll have to do is listen to my mesmerizing voice guiding you."

"That...sounds like a plan. Waiting for your orders, sir." Jason said, cutting the long moment of silence made by everyone assimilating their plan.

Nico paused, breathing in heavily. Anyone there would have thought he was irritated. But in reality, he was trying his best not to jump in the first car and break into the Niente Da Vedere Lì HQ alone. 

"Get everyone informed. Leave Beckendorf and his team here just in case. Everyone else goes. We'll need as many people on this as we can send." He calmly ordered, looking back at Jason.

The blonde man nodded and left to give out orders. Nico stayed alone in the room with Leo. He tried steadying his breathing. His palms were sweaty and his vision was getting blurry. He remembered Bianca and his mother. Kidnapped. Never seen again. Will.

Will.

Will was kidnapped.

His head started spinning. He could barely breathe. He leaned on a table, clenching his eyes shut, only to see a picture of Ryan’s body in front of him. He started to shake before he realized Leo was staring at him.

"Sir?" Leo asked hesitantly a few moments later. Nico whipped his head around, his face quickly reverting to a stony expression, but he couldn’t hide the angry red blotches that had appeared on his cheeks, or the tears welling up in his eyes.

“Yes?” he asked in a bored voice, making sure it didn’t crack.

"Look, I'm not one of your minions. You don't have to 'earn my respect' or shit like that. You're panicking. And not only does it affect you badly, but you could screw up the whole plan if you don't let it out now…” Leo said, raising an eyebrow.

Nico stared at him in shock. Not even Jason had ever talked to him like that.

“What?” he demanded, showing emotion in front of someone other than Will for the first time since Bianca and his mother died.

"I said what I said. Now either you listen to me or you mope in your misery,” Leo said, sounding unfazed.

"Or you could mind your own fucking business.”

"If you fail because of your personal issues and the Niente Da Vedere Lì find out Harley and I helped you, well, I don't think I need to remind you how merciless they are? ” Leo persisted.

Did he know something, or was he just stating a known fact? Nico decided not to dwell on it, he had to get himself in order.

"I don't need your help." Nico was getting tired of this. If only he could throw Leo out of a window and have a moment to himself.

"You bloody well do," Leo smirked, watching Nico try and fail to steady his breathing.

"Remember who you're talking to,” Nico said harshly, making Leo flinch a little bit, but a moment later he looked just as careless as before.

“Whatever man, just don’t fuck this up. Hey, at least I got something on you now if you didn’t stick to our agreement,” Leo said cheerily

“Are you…are you blackmailing me?” Nico asked with a mix of confusion and astonishment.

Leo tilted his head as if contemplating the situation. “I think I am… But only if it would work,” Leo said with a large grin on his face.

Nico stifled a delirious laugh and turned away, deciding to ignore him for the time being.


	16. Chapter 16

Suddenly there was silence, deafening silence. Had he gone deaf? 

Will screamed.

And he heard himself. Good. He screamed again just to make sure.

The silence was pressing in on him. It was consuming every part of his being.

He imagined Nico was there with him. His soft, melodic voice. Just simple phrases, snippets of conversations they had had. He hugged himself, pulling his legs closer, imagining he was hugging someone. His mom, Nico, anyone. He was alone. So alone. He didn’t know how long it had been or how long it would still be. He hadn’t eaten anything since he got here, he was going delirious. 

And the silence.

He started singing a song quietly, a lullaby his mother used to sing him… He imagined what Kayla would say. Probably something along the lines of “Stop with your incessant singing or I swear to god I will cut you.”

The thought made him laugh. He was so tired, and it was so quiet, except for his weak, feeble voice echoing through the room. He was so exhausted.

“Nico,” he muttered. He hoped he was still alive, not looking for him. He knew that would end badly.

He would rather live the rest of his life here than be out there in the world, a world without Nico. He hugged himself tighter, pretending he was hugging Nico, pretending he was anywhere else but here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm not evil btw XD


	17. Chapter 17

CRASH. 

Nico heard a car being totaled through his intercom and a car alarm blaring around the corner.

It was dusk, 5 days after Will had gone missing. And he might see him again soon. No. He would see him soon. Will had to be okay. He had to.

He jumped out of the car with Jason right behind him, accompanied by two of his men. It was all so strange. In all black, masks and gloves...

"Alright, they're all outside. It's now or never,” Leo said through the intercom.

Jason went up to the wall, looking at Nico skeptically before punching it with all his strength. A sickening crack was heard as the wall started to crumble. He stood back, a hole large enough for a person to climb through starting to form.

His hand was bleeding, he rubbed his knuckles, trying to hide the pain.

“Grace, your hand…” Nico said

"Nothing to worry about right now. After you, sir,” he mumbled. He tried to grab his gun, but he couldn’t move his fingers to do so.

"Get out of here. You're in no position to fight" 

"I'm fine-"

"It's an order. A wounded soldier won't help the mission,” Nico said harshly. Jason stared at him

"I could still buy you some time, which you'll need,” Jason insisted.

“We don’t have time for this, just get going!” Leo said through the intercom. Nico shot Jason an angry look before climbing through the wall. 

He found himself in a dark corridor. The lights were out and everything was illuminated only by the evening light streaming through the ruined wall. 

As the rest of the team joined him, Leo started guiding them through what seemed like a never-ending maze of locked doors and dark rooms.

“Okay take a right- Wait. Stop. STOP! Someone is coming your way!” Leo said in a panicked voice.

Nico's heart started beating fast. “Where?!” he demanded. Thoughts of his mother’s death flew into his head. Would he have the same fate? Dying, trying to save someone he loved who might already be dead?

“WHERE?!” he screamed. 

“To your left, go back, go back!!!” Leo said desperately.

But it was too late. They heard footsteps approaching and a blinding light shining in their face as an enemy team found them.

When his eyes got accustomed to the light, Nico saw a team of around 10 people standing in front of them. They were clearly outnumbered.

A blond man in a mask approached him, smirking.

"Well if it isn't Nico Di Angelo," he said

Nico narrowed his eyes. “Who are you!”

The man took off his mask.

"Don't you recognize me, sir ?" Octavian said, his slim body looking even more ghostly under the bright light.

"You," Nico groaned, clenching his fists.   
Jason kept his bloody hand on his shoulder to stop Nico from strangling him. They desperately needed backup.

Octavian laughed. "It's funny how your mommy reacted the same way. Idiocy must run in the family," he sneered. Nico's head was boiling with anger and his whole body radiated a murderous aura.

"Don't you dare talk about her, you monster, "

He laughed again." Dear, I'd love to keep talking to you. But I’d rather torture you, or your Tesoro. He’s been enjoying my mind tricks so far... So drop your weapons and maybe I’ll spare his sanity. Or whatever’s left of it.”

Nico was shaking with fury, he clenched his hand on his gun.

“Fuck you,” he said, his voice leveled, but his eyes were brimming with tears. Octavian laughed.

Leo was screaming for backup through the intercom, making Nico’s head spin.

"Well if that doesn’t persuade you… maybe you’d like to say hello to your sister?” he said. 

“My sister is dead!” Nico said, shaking. Leo went quiet on the other side and Jason looked at him with pity. Nico ignored this.

Octavian’s smile grew wider.

“Half-sister. My apologies.”

Nico felt his heart stop. His eyes went wide. Octavian laughed insanely. 

“What, did you really think he wouldn’t tell us. Your beloved told us everything as soon as we asked.”

Nico blinked tears out of his eyes. Will.

“No. No, you’re lying! FUCK YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?!”

The blonde was delirious. This was way too much fun for him.

"You've got to be kidding. What could we possibly want from a powerful mafia leader?"

“I’ll give you as much money as you want, just don’t hurt them,” Nico said, his voice breaking.

“That won’t do… see with you in charge… The Casa Nostra will remain in the lead. We want you. Give yourself up.”

Nico stared at him. He opened his mouth to agree-

“Nico you can’t be thinking of actually complying! How do you know they’ll keep their word! You’re way too important!” Jason said.

“I can help you make a decision!” Octavian said, feigning cooperation. I’ve got someone on the line right now. Standing outside her window. Hazel, was it? And what was the baby’s name again? Bet it won’t matter…” he said, a twisted smile on his face. He presses a button on his phone.

“What’s the status?” he asked the person on the other line.

“Target acquired,” Nico heard Ethan’s voice from the other side.

“Make sure to take everyone out when I give the order,” he said. Nico sobbed.

“Sir… there is a child…” Ethan said, sounding horrified.

“And?” 

There was quiet on the other side. “Alright, sir,” Ethan finally said, sounding terrified.

“So… what is it going to be, di Angelo?”

Nico took a shaky breath. 

“Fine. But tell your man to stand down, now.”

Octavian rolled his eyes and did as Nico said. Jason looked mortified as Nico made his way towards Octavian. A man came up to him, grabbing him by his hand and pushing him towards the floor.

“What is going on???” Leo demanded through the intercom. Nico smiled softly.

“It’s fine. Jason will make sure you and your brother stay safe. Valdez?” 

“Y-yeah?”

“Tell Hazel and Will I love them all right?” Nico said. He wanted those to be his last words as he heard a gun cock near his head.

“Sir???” Leo said. Nico didn’t answer. He closed his eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

As he prepared for death, he smiled at the thought of Hazel and Will being safe. He hoped Jason and the others got out of the mess he had gotten them into.

And just as he was sure the person pinning him down would pull the trigger, he heard a gunshot.

He was sure he would be dead in a few seconds, but he felt nothing. The sound was… further away. He spun himself on the floor, pushing the person off him easily to see what was going on. Jason was standing, gun raised, pointing towards Octavian, whose phone was lying shot through with a bullet, blood streaming from the hand he was holding it in.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

Both teams started shooting. Nico ducked down to the ground, tackling another person to the ground and ripping their gun out of their hands, punching them just hard enough to knock them out.

“JASON!” he yelled as three people surged towards him. They were hopelessly outnumbered.

Jason, being Jason, was not aiming to kill, but his enemies were. 

“JASON!” Nico yelled once more, getting to his feet to help him. Nico caught Jason’s attention. And in that moment of split attention.

“Aghhhh!” Jason gripped the side of his stomach.

“No. Nononono…” Nico mumbled. He was filled with blinding fury, a murderous look in his eyes.

He kicked and punched, ducked, and tackled until the person who had shot him was lying unconscious on the ground. He looked back at Jason. He wasn’t losing much blood, but it was obvious he was in a lot of pain.

“Jason! Jason, you have to get out of here!” he yelled as Octavian and the rest of his team raised their weapons once more. 

“No! We’ll keep them busy. Go find… whoever it is we’re looking for,” he said, wincing as he shifted his position. He raised his gun.

“Jason! Please! I never wanted any of this, you know that! Go back,” he said, but Jason wasn’t listening. Authority didn’t matter at this point. Nico cursed under his breath. He had enough people’s deaths on his hands. He didn’t want Jason to be added to that list. 

As the rest of their team started shooting, Jason, using all the energy he had, racing towards Octavian.

“Go! NOW!” Nico heard Leo yell at him through the intercom. He listened.

Weaving through his enemies, shooting over his shoulder, bullets going past his shoulder, he was sure they would never make it out of there alive. He ran, and a few minutes later, he found himself in total darkness, no idea where he was.

“Valdez? I’m… gonna need you to guide me here…” he said bitterly, excepting the fact that he would need the annoying Latino’s help after all.

“Okay… uh… right…” Leo said, clearly trying to figure out where the hell Nico was.

Nico stood there. Listening to a trail of obscenities from the other side. “Valdez!” he said once more.

“Right...right… uh… I think to go straight and then left, down a corridor leading to a staircase.”

“You think!?!?” Nico demanded.

“Yes I think, so you wanna wander through the dark or listen to me, huh?” Leo said.

Nico groaned in frustration before following the instructions.

As he walked, occasionally hearing Leo mutter directions, he thought about his sisters. Hazel. He had done everything he could to keep her away from all of this, the way he couldn’t with Bianca... She didn’t even know, bless her. Getting a degree, starting a family… everything Nico had ever wanted, but could never have. He had made sure she would have that choice. Hiding her, hiding himself, at least his true self.

And Bianca. Held for ransom for his father’s bad choices. That’s where it all started. All of this. His father. Turning a family business into this. Making enemies. It was his fault, all of it.

• • • 

He was nine years old when he heard his parents fight.

“She is your DAUGHTER. Do you think they care that she is a child?! We have to save her no matter the cost, fuck your ‘family business’! I don’t even recognize you anymore!” Maria screamed, making Nico stop in his tracks behind the living room door.

“Maria, we have a plan to preserve both the business and her life. You are just stressing over nothing.” Hades answered calmly

"Do you even hear yourself talk? PRESERVE? She is your child, not some… some… pawn in your little game!!! Those people won't wait, they're murderers!”

“I know that dear. But this is the only way to proceed, likewise everything we have built. Do you think we would have any of this without planning? We would still be living in a small, infested apartment.”

Maria was silent for a while. Nico held his breath when suddenly, he heard a strange sound. As if…

Hades winced in pain and he heard Maria’s breathing quicken.

“At least you would still be the person I fell in love with. Not this monster,” she said, her voice deadly calm. 

“Maria-” Hades started, but she interrupted him.

“Don’t you dare get closer to me or I will slap you again. I’m done. I’m done, as soon as we get Bianca, I am taking the kids and we are leaving. Forever,” she said. 

Nico’s eyes were wide. His parents had told him his sister was on a school trip. What was going on?

He heard the sound of shoes on a wooden floor, so he quickly ducked behind a coathanger, as he heard his mother slam the door open.

• • •

Nico woke up to the sound of a door creaking open. He was always a light sleeper.

He rubbed his eyes and looked over at his bedside table. It was 3:26 AM. He was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, but he had a feeling he should go look around to see what was going on. 

He got out of his bed and sleepily wandered to his door. 

As he opened the door, it creaked, just like all the other doors in their big old house. His mother looked around for the source of the sound.

Nico stared at her, dressed in all black, a backpack slung across her shoulder.

“Mommy?” he asked. She ran up to him, hugging him tightly.

“Hi baby, hey. Why aren’t you sleeping?” she asked lovingly.

He shrugged, hugging her back. “I heard a door opening…” he explained, pressing up against her. She laughed lightly, gripping him closer.

“Why do we even bother getting a security system? If someone tried robbing us, you’d just wake right up to tell us,” she said, kissing him on the top of his head.

“Mommy?” he asked again.

“Yes, Nico?” she asked, pulling away. He saw tears in her eyes, but he didn’t know why.

“Where are you going? Where is Bianca?” he asked. She didn’t answer. A tear slid down her cheek. “I… I heard you and daddy fighting. Why are we leaving? What about my friends?” he asked.

Maria looked at him with so much despair. How could she leave him here? She started to sob, pulling him close once more. She loved him so much. More than life itself, the problem was. She loved Bianca just as much. She had to. She had to try and find her daughter.

“Amore mio, resta forte. Ci vediamo presto. Lo prometto. Ti amo tanto. Ti amo così tanto, tesoro mio. Ti amo,” Maria mumbled, hugging her son. She refused to believe that it was for the last time. She would save Bianca, and take them both far far away from this life. 

“Ti voglio bene anche io mamma,” Nico mumbled, slowly falling asleep against his mother.

She scooped him up, carrying him back to his bed, tucking him in, kissing him on the forehead before turning away.

She stopped at the door, looking at her son, sleeping quietly and peacefully once more, before she smiled and shut his bedroom door one last time.

• • • 

Nico turned the corner to discover a large metal door with a small flickering lightbulb above it.

“Valdez? Is the power back on?” Nico asked through the intercom.

“Still out, boss,” Leo said happily.

Nico looked at the lightbulb distrustfully. “Ok, what do I do here?” 

“Is it locked?” Leo asked.

“OF COURSE IT’S LOCKED WHY WOULD I ASK YOU WHAT TO DO IF IT WASN’T-”

“Ok, ok… no need to rage, just checking,” Leo said in an infuriatingly lighthearted voice.

But Nico didn’t know what else to do. The memories, everything that was at stake… it was getting to him. And he could feel his heart start to beat faster and his head spin once more.


	19. Chapter 19

Through fumbling hands and shaky breaths, somehow, with Leo’s guidance, Nico managed to get the door open.

He made his way down a narrow set of stairs, plunging into total darkness. He blinked. He had no idea if he could still see or not.

“Are you there?” he asked through the intercom, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

“Yep, just go down the stairs and turn left,” Leo said. Nico mumbled his instructions to himself over and over, to distract himself from a creeping feeling that someone was waiting for him in the dark, watching him. Waiting for his back to turn.

He heard a sound and spun around, almost falling down the stairs, his heart beating fast, eyes wide open to see someone… something... anything. He realized it was just his gun clanking against the railing and tried to brush it off, but he still felt uneasy.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and tripped a bit, thinking there was another step.

“What now?” he asked through the intercom as he turned to the left.

“Uhhhh… Well, there are a lot of doors… um… try the third one on the right?”

He couldn't see anything, but he refused to get this close and end up failing. He wondered if his mom made it this far. The thought made him sick. He stumbled forward, crashing into the wall. He took a few deep breaths, clearing his head, before forcefully putting one foot in front of the other, dragging his hand on the wall.

He shuddered when he felt the cold surface of a metal door under his fingers.

One... he counted to himself as he kept going.

Two… he quickened his pace, anxious to get to the third door…

Three.

He knocked immediately, his heart skipping a beat. No answer. He knocked again, a little louder this time.

“Hey… don’t get worked up over it, there are plenty of rooms to check…” Leo assured him through the intercom. And so he made his way through the lightless labyrinth.

• • •

“You realize that that might be the most unhealthy thing I have ever heard of, and I’m studying to be a doctor here…” Will said, looking down at Nico who was resting his head on Will’s chest, with something between amusement and horror as Nico explained his sleep schedule to him.

Nico just shrugged, trying to get up, but Will pulled him back down onto his chest.

“Yeah, not happening, you are sleeping right now,” Will ordered. Nico sighed.

“I miss the school year… the good old days then we used to make fun of our sleep deprivation,” Nico grumbled as he closed his eyes, feeling Will’s chest rise and fall, falling asleep only moments after.

• • •

Nico ran down the corridor, screaming Will’s name. He must have knocked on about twenty doors by then and he was losing all hope.

“Calm down! Just stay focused and you’ll find him!” Leo said, sounding panicked through the intercom.

“He’s not here… I just know it!” Nico sobbed, stopping in his tracks.

“You don’t know that, just… I don’t know, take deep breaths, focus on your goal!” Leo said.

“What’s the point. I’m lost, I have no idea where the exit is and I can’t see shit. Just… help the others out of this mess… it’s no use,” Nico said, crumbling to the floor. He felt so small as the darkness and silence pressed against him.

Everything was silent for a little while before an electric humm filled the corridors, and suddenly, there was blinding light everywhere. He squeezed his eyes shut as they quickly tried to get used to the bright white light.

Nico stood up once his eyes had adjusted, taking in a shaky breath. He looked around to see that on the door of each occupied room, there was a name. All he had to do was find the right one.

• • •

“What’s wrong with the word moist?!” Nico demanded as Will covered his ears.

“Ahh! Stop saying it! Please!” Will whined, causing Nico to throw his hands up into the air.

“It’s a word, Will, it can’t hurt you,” he said, snickering as Will scowled at him.

“It’s disgusting.”

“Whatever you say…” he said, rolling his eyes.

“At least I’m not scared of fucking broccoli…” Will said defensively, starting to laugh, pulling Nico closer, kissing him lightly on the lips before smiling and bursting into another fit of laughter.

“Knew I shouldn’t have told you that story…” Nico said, starting to laugh a bit himself.

• • •

Nico ran through the corridors, his heart beating fast. This was it. If he found nothing, he would be lost yet again. Will had to be here.

He ran, looking at the doors he passed by when his eyes landed on the door at the very end. Even from that far away, he could make out what was written on the door.

Will.

He sobbed with joy and ran towards the door so quickly he almost tripped. He didn’t even bother knocking on the door. He swung it open, searching the room. A grimy sink stood on one side of the room, while a rusty bed stood on the other. And there he was.

He didn’t even look up when Nico barged in, he sat on the bed, curled up into himself.

“Will…” Nico whispered, his eyes filling with tears as he ran up to him. He stopped in front of him but Will didn’t even bother looking up. 

Up close, Nico noticed something wasn’t quite right. In only five days, his face was much more hollowed out than he remembered, his face and arms were stained with dry blood and bruises littered his entire body. Nico didn’t know if he was crying from relief or horror anymore. As he took Will in, he reached out a hand and took Will’s in his. Only then did Will look up, he looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.

He muttered something, his eyes opening a bit wider at the sight of Nico.

“It’s me. It’s ok. It’s gonna be okay…” Nico said, tears streaming down his cheeks as Will took him in as if he didn’t believe it was actually him.

Will muttered something again. It was a question. But Will had so little energy left, Nico had no clue what he had said. He squeezed his eyes shut as he imagined his twelve-year-old sister like this, slowly dying of mistreatment and starvation.

“Will… it’s me, I’m here…” Nico said desperately, rubbing his thumb against the back of Will’s hand reassuringly.

“I thought... “ was all Nico could make out from what Will said next. He couldn’t take it any longer. He pulled Will into a hug. He was so fragile… Nico started to cry silently as Will wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back, letting out a weak laugh.

Will's body felt as vulnerable as a fall leaf on the pavement, constantly at risk of being crushed if Nico weren't careful enough.

A single tear traveled from Will's left eye to Nico's neck where his face was buried. Nico had tried not to crumble apart. To stay strong, if not for himself, for Will. But that teardrop was too much. He started crying silently, taking in Will's emaciated body as tight as he judged the blonde man was able to handle.

Will slowly pulled back, looking at him with eyes petrified with horror. A subtle wave of disbelief still dancing behind their phantom sea. They used to be so bright and joyful…

"Sorry…" He mumbled in a voice that could only be heard in the dead silence that was creeping the room.

Nico gently wiped the tear away, rubbing his thumb on his cheek.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Tesoro," Will's jaw dropped, desperately trying to verbalize his thoughts, which were a chaotic storm of sorrow, guilt, and hate. He hated himself for what he had done. He...he betrayed him. He didn't deserve to be saved. To be with him. To even look at him.

On that thought, he looked away.

Nico gently lifted his chin, the brown loving, yet terrified eyes meeting the blue ones, both of them were revealing the pains and worries of their troubled souls.

"We're getting out of here. And we're never getting in again" He whispered, trying to put as much confidence in his voice as he could. 

Will stared at him, a question in his eyes. Nico nodded.

A simple gesture.

A promise.

They were getting out of this place. And Nico was getting out of the mafia.


	20. Chapter 20

When all the havoc started, Lea was automatically shoved forward to the front lines, after all, she was a good shot. And even without her gun, she could always slit her enemy’s throat with her knife.

It was all very confusing, one minute, she was down in the basement, watching Will, and the other, she was outside, fighting back a bunch of the Casa Nostra’s men. She found that term quite insulting. Men. But it’s not like political correctness was ever her biggest worry. Those people had taken everything from her, so she had the great pleasure of taking away the most important thing to their leader. Nico di fucking Angelo.

She wondered if he even remembered her name, her face, or even her existence. Probably not.

As she ducked down behind an unfamiliar body, dodging a bullet, she could have sworn she heard a crash somewhere nearby, but in all of this confusion, it was probably nothing. 

Something about being like this. Fighting for a cause she didn’t really care about was freeing. Knowing that if something happened, no one would mourn her anyway. Letting go of all her worries and focusing on something simple. Victory.

She heard a few more crashes. This time she was sure it was from around the corner. It made logical sense. Of course, they would set up a distraction. No one was stupid enough to think an attack from the front would actually work. She looked around, her red hair tied up in a ponytail whipping around. Was everyone here? Defending the entrance? Does anyone else realize what was happening? She would die before she let the Casa Nostra get their way.

“Nakamura! Are there any troops on guard!” she yelled over the gunfire at her superior. Classic. Of course, fucking Ethan would get promoted. What had he ever done? Followed orders… Lea always had a hard time doing that, but most of the time her rebelliousness gave the Niente Da Vedere Lì the upper hand, so they hadn’t gotten rid of her yet.

“All men on the frontline!” he yelled back, making Lea scowl.

She looked around. Indeed, it seemed that everyone was out here. Stupid. Exactly the kind of thing that lets the Casa Nostra stay in power.

She couldn’t stop anyone alone, but maybe… just maybe… she could get to the prize before them. She had to find Will before it was too late. She jumped to her feet and a bullet whistled past her left ear. 

“What the hell are you doing??? Stay down!” Ethan screamed at her, but she was already sprinting back inside. It was a miracle she reached the door alive.

“COME BACK HERE COWARD!” someone from their ranks shouted at her, but she had no time to threaten whoever did, slipping inside, into a dark corridor. She took her phone out and turned on the flashlight, quickening her pace as she ran through the labyrinth. 5%. Of course, it would be dying when she needed it most… 

She groaned in exasperation and ran in the opposite direction to the basement… towards the storeroom. There had to be flashlights or something there… 4%... Fucking IPhones and their battery life…

It took way too long to find a light source when she finally got to the storeroom. Five minutes? Maybe ten? Luck was not on her side.

She heard gunshots in the east wing as she dug out a tiny little flashlight from a box full of assorted “mission merch” as she liked to call it… guns… clothes… weed… tapes… the standard. She stumbled back and ran through the endless corridors, the weak shaky light of the flashlight illuminating the dirty walls in an unflattering way, her heart skipping a beat when rounding each corner, expecting someone to be standing there. 

When she was rounding the corner to the basement door, the lights flickered and she quickly covered her eyes to not get blinded. Fuck. The power was back on. Did that mean the Casa Nostra had got what they came for, was she too late? She let her eyes adjust quickly before sprinting to the basement door.

When getting it to open, she ran down the stairs, cocking her gun just in case. She jumped the last few steps and practically flew towards Will’s room. It was so quiet. He was surely gone.

She reached the corridor leading up to the door. It was cracked open. She was too late. Fuck. She kept running, just to have something to do as tears of anger welled up in her eyes.

She flung the door open and it crashed against the wall, startling a pale, raven-haired man who was holding a mistreated Will Solace in his arms. 

Jackpot.


	21. Chapter 21

Rule number one when being threatened with a gun while unarmed: look them in the eyes.

Hers were cold and murderous. It was clear that she wouldn't hesitate to take them out.

This leads to rule number two: try to find an exit and run in zig-zags so that you'd be a harder target to reach.

Will and Nico were trapped between a dead-end corridor and...her. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place her. And in Will’s state, Nico doubted Will could even stand.

"Long time no see, di Angelo," she said, a wicked grin on her face. She looked like a wolf that had trapped its prey in a corner, free to do whatever it pleased with it. Nico looked up at her. Will had slumped back against the wall, a tear streaming down his face. This was not how they were going to go down. 

Nico lunged at her, and in a moment of startled confusion, managed to knock the gun out of her hand. She shrieked as her head hit the hard ground. Nico was breathing heavily, pinning her to the ground. This was one of the people who had hurt Will. She had to pay.

Will said something faintly from behind Nico, but he wasn’t paying attention. He had never really wanted to hurt anyone before now. He wanted to hurt her as much as she and the others had hurt Will. He looked down at her face, she looked dizzy from the fall. Good.

Will mumbled something again, toppling towards Nico urgently, but all Nico could focus on was how much rage he had built up inside him. He didn’t have time to take it out on Octavian. But he could take it out on her.

“KNIFE!” Will yelled hoarsely before erupting into a coughing fit.

Nico turned around just in time to see a silver dagger slashing towards him. He quickly scrambled away as Lea took a swipe at where his neck was only a few seconds ago.

“Nico, how are things over by you?” Leo asked through the intercom, switching back after informing the rest of the troops on their status.

“Found him. And an enemy. Any chance for backup?” he asked calmly as Lea staggered to her feet, clenching her fist around her knife. 

“Valdez?” Nico asked as static ringed in his ear. “Valdez!” he repeated to no avail. Amazing. He was stuck in an underground labyrinth with a psychopath and a barely alive Will.

Lea ran towards him and Nico quickly retrieved her gun from the floor as he dodged her attack. 

She must have had a concussion. The attack was sloppy and she could barely stay on her feet. She tried to land a punch, but Nico sidestepped, causing her to tumble to the ground.

Nico aimed the gun right at her head as she turned to look up at him.

A small smile was dancing across her lips, reminding Nico eerily of Bianca when they were little kids, breaking the rules.

“Go ahead. Shoot me. Then your family will have murdered the entirety of mine,” she whispered, a pained expression on her face as she rubbed the back of her head.

Nico stared at her. 

“Do it. Do it, di Angelo. Prove you are as much of a monster as your father. Put me out of my misery.” She said it like a challenge, a strange glint in her eyes, daring him to prove her right. 

He lowered his gun, staring down at her.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. We are leaving. You chose your side. We’ll see how long it takes them to find you down here,” he said coldly, walking over to Will, never taking his eyes off her.

Will nearly fainted when Nico dragged him to his feet. It tore his heart to see him like this. And it was all his fault.

She lay on the floor, looking up at Nico defiantly. He tried to keep his cool, but Will was barely conscious, dragging his feet, and he couldn’t imagine getting him up that narrow staircase to the basement.

As he reached the door, he looked back at her. Red hair, pale skin, boring grey eyes unreadable. He slammed the door, a haunting echo sounding through the seemingly endless corridors.

“It’s fine, we’re going to make it out of here…” Nico said, more to himself than Will.

Will tried to say something but shut his mouth again. He needed food. Fast. 

Nico dragged Will along as he ran towards the exit. Thoughts of what must be going on up above flashed through his mind, making him dizzy. He tripped over his own feet, sending them both falling to the ground.

He got up and tried to pick Will up again, but he was like a rag doll, his eyes fluttering open every few seconds as if desperately clawing at the last bit of consciousness inside him.

Will slumped against Nico’s chest and they fell to the ground once again. Nico’s eyes filled with tears of frustration and panic.

“Valdez, can you hear me?!?!” he screamed into the intercom desperately. 

"Sir?” he answered, sounding relieved.

“I need help, I need help down in the basement!!!” Nico yelled.

“You-cut-c-h-“ he heard through the intercom before Leo’s voice was completely cut out by static.

That’s when Nico lost it, sobbing hysterically, lugging Will forwards like a corpse.

It was no use. He slumped against a wall, looking at what was left of his boyfriend on the floor, pulling his head onto his lap, hugging him close. 

“I’m so sorry sunshine. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I wish… I wish we could just run away,” Nico mumbled, tears streaming down his face. He laughed a bit. “But you wouldn’t want that anyway… fucking scholar… never told you how much I admired you for that…” he rambled on, stroking Wil’s hair, knowing it was the last time before they were discovered.

“You’d get your fucking diploma… and I’d… just be your ‘trophy man’ I guess, but I wouldn’t care. As long as you were mine. That’s how it would fucking go. Because I fucking love you and I swear, I won’t leave you. I’ll be here with you, till the end. I love you so much it’s unreal.”

Nico pulled him closer. He was fragile and thin, but somehow still warm and comforting. He sat there, listening to Will’s heartbeat, ticking away the time. He looked into his cerulean eyes. Will was barely managing to keep them open

“Red,” he heard him say softly. He had no idea what it meant, but hearing his voice, so quiet he almost didn’t catch it just made more tears fall down his cheeks.

"I know... it's your favorite color," he said, smiling a bit at the memory of the two of them walking down the street with tacos from a food truck and him trying to explain why black was superior to every color. Though now… he thought he preferred cerulean.

Will shook his head weakly.

"Girl," he whispered, sounding as frustrated, despite his weakened state. 

And then it hit him like a truck, and he almost jumped to his feet.

“You are a fucking genius,” Nico mumbled, cupping his face, rubbing his thumb on Will’s cheek. 

Will smiled a bit as Nico set him down on the ground gently.

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

• • •

He found her still lying on the floor. It’s not like she could go anywhere, but he had at least   
expected her to fight him when he entered the room once more.

He cleared his throat and she turned her head towards the sudden sound. 

"Look who it is… angel..." she sneered after about twenty seconds of staring at him as though contemplating the best way to slit his throat. She said it in a tone that made Nico want to kick her in the face.

“Cut the act. We both know that you don’t actually care about Niente Da Vedere Lì. You were probably forced to join. So what’s it to you if we make it out of here or not?” Nico said as coldly as possible. Her face burned with fury. 

“What’s it to me?!?! Everything! Do you want to talk about acting? Your father acted like our friend. He killed my entire family when he promised to keep us safe. I was eight. I had nowhere to go and no one to go to. This is the only place that would let me in… Your family murdered mine, and you and your sister didn’t even blink an eye. You remember now, don’t you? You remember me. And you don’t even care. Stopping you from getting what you want… It’s everything to me.” She said it as though she had rehearsed those words. 

Nico was so disoriented he didn’t even see her draw her knife. He vaguely remembered her and Bianca always kicking him out of her room when her family came over for ‘lunch’. He knew that his father had done a lot of bad things… but this… he had no idea.

He opened his mouth, he didn’t know what to say, but it didn’t matter, she lunged at him with incredible speed, pushing him up against a wall, pressing the cold steel blade to his throat.

As she slowly pressed the knife deeper, creating a gash, all Nico could think about was Will. On the floor, drained and frail, waiting for him to come back. They were going to kill Will once they had gotten rid of him. A tear slid down his cheek.

“Fuck you,” she said, looking straight into his eyes with so much hate and anger…

“I’m really sorry… Lea,” he choked out as she pressed down harder, constricting his breathing tube. A momentary look of shock and confusion crossed her face before it hardened again. She was shaking with anger.

“If… if you want to kill me for what my father did… just don’t hurt him. Please,” Nico begged, another tear running down his cheek. As long as Will got out of this alive, it would all be worth it.

Lea hesitated, anger still in her eyes.

“Please,” Nico said, so quiet he doubted she even heard him.

She scrambled away from him, starting to cry as well. Nico stood there against the wall, watching in shock as Lea stood, crying silently and shaking in the middle of the room.

They stood there in silence, until Lea calmed down a bit, wiping the tears away. Nico gave her a questioning look, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. She cleared her throat and walked towards the door. Nico watched her, unable to move, waiting for her to slam the door.

She turned around in the doorway.

“Come on,” she mumbled, resentment in her voice. And Nico did as she said, following her down the corridor to where Will lay on the floor.


	22. Chapter 22

Will was struggling to breathe, every movement was as hard as running a mile. 

He heard footsteps. Nico kept his promise, he came back. And he would keep his promise. They were getting out of here, and they were going to leave all this madness behind.

“Will… Will, we’re leaving. It’s going to be okay,” he heard Nico’s voice as if from a distance, he tried to move, say something, or even just open his eyes, but all he could do was keep forcing air in and out of his lungs. 

He felt rough hands pick him up. He knew they weren’t Nico’s. He tried to move away, but as he well to the right, away from the person, Nico caught him from the other side.

“Be careful,” he said to the person with so much hate in his voice, Will almost felt sorry for them. 

“I’m helping you!” he recognized the redhead’s voice say indignantly.

“We’ll see…” Nico said spitefully from the other side as the two of them proceeded to carry him through the corridors.

Will pressed closer to Nico. He still couldn’t believe he was there, and that Octavian hadn’t stopped him. What had happened to his sister? Was she alright? How did he get the redhead to help him? So many questions and thoughts were going through his brain, his head was spinning and he felt like he was going to faint, or throw up, even though he hadn’t eaten anything in… five days? Eight days? He had lost track of time

Redhead scoffed and gripped him a bit tighter. A grunt of displeasure escaped hum.

“Stop it! You're hurting him!” Nico hissed at her, gently squeezing his hand tighter for support. Will held onto it for dear life.

“Calm down, I didn’t do it on purpose!” she yelled back, making his ears ring. They sounded far away, but everything was so, so loud. 

Nico stayed quiet for a few seconds, breathing deeply to steady himself.

“You didn’t do it on purpose? You didn’t hurt him?! CAN YOU HONESTLY TELL ME YOU DIDN’T INTENTIONALLY HURT HIM?!?! You know nothing, nothing, about him. Or me. But you hurt him. I know you did. He has cuts and bruises all over his body, and he… he…” Nico couldn’t continue. 

Will felt Nico’s tears streaming down his face to his neck. He never wanted to see him like this. He wanted to assure him that he was going to be ok, that everything was going to be ok, but he had a hard time believing that himself, and he could hardly open his mouth to speak.

Lea stayed quiet, making Nico’s heavy breathing seem that much louder.

“I… I’m sorry. I’m trying to make up for it, ok?” she said in barely a whisper. Will felt Nico nod.

“I’m...I’m sorry what my father did to your family. He ruined a lot of lives. Including mine. I’m so sorry, Lea,” Nico said quietly. Lea. She had a name.

“What do you mean?” Lea asked.

“You think I wanted this? Any of it? The Casa Nostra cost me my family, my friends. My entire life and personality. Everything.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Lea asked after a bit of silence. “I thought you didn’t trust me.”

Nico shrugged before realizing Will was resting on his shoulder.

“Sorry… We’ll be out of here soon…” he mumbled, before sighing.

“Because. The Casa Nostra will not be the reason I lose Will as well. So… I’m out. I never wanted this, and now more than ever… I would do anything to get out,” Nico said.

Will smiled a bit. He wanted to tell Nico how much he loved him. Hearing those words meant everything to him.

Lea stayed silent as if contemplating what it all meant.

“That means we win,” she said, sounding shocked.

“I don’t care what it means. The Casa Nostra and Niente Da Vedere Lì are the same. We kill, manipulate… we ruin lives. We are the same. And I don’t want that. I never did. So if my choice brings the downfall of a dangerous mafia even I don’t have full control over, good.”

Will felt the tension in Nico’s body disappear with those words, and he swore he felt the same thing with Lea. They didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t think they had to. 

They got to the staircase, lugging Will up it step by step. He blacked out for seconds at a time, doing everything he could to keep himself conscious.

As they carefully got into the hallway, they heard voices coming their way. Will could feel Lea and Nico turn to each other and he felt Nico nod before she pushed them to the ground and yelled, “OVER HERE, QUICK!”. He could feel himself being dragged along the floor, his entire body aching from the fall with no idea what was going on.


	23. Chapter 23

A group of armed enemies rounded the corner. Nico’s eyes grew wide. 

Lea was standing in the middle, her dagger in her hand, Will laying on the floor like a rag doll as he dragged him towards the exit.

A sick laugh echoed throughout the hallway.

"There you are! My dearest guests!" Octavian said a nasty grin spread across his face.

‘RUN’ Lea mouthed before turning to face Octavian.

“I caught them escaping just in time, sir!” she said, standing directly between the armed men and Nico and Will.

The message was pretty clear. Nico sprinted, holding Will by the back of his shirt as if they were kids playing

“KILL THEM!” Octavian roared, and the team advanced, and so did Lea. She caught up to them fairly quickly, swiping at Nico with her knife, intentionally missing.

“Left, right, right, straight,” she said between frustrated yells and grunts.

Nico was filled with panic. He couldn’t see how they could ever get out of this mess, but he nodded. 

He rounded a corner, and the hallway narrowed, there was only space for only one person to go through. He almost crashed into the wall, but kept running, dragging Will along behind him. His arms were aching and he doubted he could keep this up much longer, but he had to.

Nico quickly turned around to check how much distance they had between them. Just enough to see Lea give him an urgent look before purposely tripping over her own feet. The men behind her came to a stop, yelling in frustration as she slowly got back to her feet. They looked like angry fully armed dominos.

As Lea was on the ground, a man raised his gun. A clear shot.

Nico’s eyes widened. He ducked down over Will, heart beating in his throat, whispering the last goodbye, gripping him tight.

And then a gunshot. 

A few seconds later, nothing.

He looked up, to see Lea, blood streaming from her shoulder, running towards them as fast as possible. Her eyes were wide with panic and terror.

Nico scrambled to his feet, watching in astonishment as she ran towards them as though she hadn’t just been shot. 

He broke out into a run.

He ran and he ran.

Rounding the last turn, Nico’s legs gave in and he crumbled to the floor. He couldn’t drag Will any longer.

He got up, his legs shaking like crazy, his muscles stiff.

Lea ran towards him, the men right behind her.

He could see the faint light of street lamps from the open door at the end of the hallway.

He heard gunshots from the back, but Lea and two men were still advancing on them. 

Where were the rest?

More gunshots.

“NO!” he heard a familiar voice scream around the corner. And then another gunshot. He could hear Leo’s voice in his intercom, but he couldn’t make out the words over everything else.

“WHAT VALDEZ!” He screamed.

“BACKUUUUUUUP!!!!!!” Leo screamed back.

Fuck yes. 

“Duck!” Nico yelled.

“What?!” Leo asked through the intercom, but Lea understood, ducking down, the two men tripping and falling over her. Nico rushed forward, and a few seconds and punches later, they were unconscious.

“What’s going on over there?!?!” Lea asked, gesturing backward as they ran towards Will.

“No idea! Valdez? What the hell is going on?!”

“Sent a team! Octa-dude is out! Fucking manipulative ass bastard!” Leo whooped into the intercom. 

Nico heard him and Harley cheering at their newfound freedom, and couldn’t help but smile.

“JASON?” he asked loudly as Lea grabbed Will and ran.

“Shot in the calf, not looking good, but you focus on getting out! This is why we’re here in the first place!” Leo said.

Lea barged through the door. And there, under a street lamp, was a car waiting for them. 

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. They were actually going to make it. Lea made a beeline, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

Nico looked back into the building, the distant sounds of gunshots resonating through the hall.

“Come on!” Lea screamed as she swung open the door, tossing Will inside like he was a sack of potatoes.

Nico took one last look down the dark path, before sprinting towards Will.

He got in the car and looked towards Lea. She was standing at the car door, looking back.

“Come with us,” Nico said. “You don’t ever have to go back.”

But she shook her head. 

“I have to do this… make sure your partners… lose dreadfully,” she said with a smirk.

Nico got back out of the car. “What are you going to do?” he asked.

"Make sure no family suffers the way ours did,"

He wanted to argue. He didn't want her to stay in this hell of a place. But deep down, he knew she was right. No one deserves what both of them went through. What Will went through.

He held his fist to his heart and pushed three times, just the way they used to do so long ago with his sister. A painful smile took over the ginger's face.

She did the same. "Good luck, angel" Nico laughed. He remembered how much he hated that nickname.

"Alright I don't want to interrupt or anything but we're kind of in a mafia base soooooo… yeah," Leo groaned.

“Right, right…” Nico said. “How are we doing?”

“3 casualties, 19 wounded,” Leo said, before adding “overall”.

“3 casualties, 19 wounded overall,” Nico repeated for Lea.

“Not that bad for the fall of a mafia…” Lea said, but Nico could see the pain in her eyes. Those three had families… friends… Even Octavian.

“That’s why we have to make it worth it, right?” Lea said as if reading his mind. She took a step backward, clutching at her bullet wound, an expression of agonizing pain flashing across her face.

Nico scanned her with his eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Goodbye, Nico,” she said, before running back into the building.

He turned towards the car.

“I’m on my way, Valdez.”

“It looks like the rest are as well,” Leo said.

“Great,” he said, exhaling deeply. He took out the headset and climbed into the car next to Will.

The driver started the car and Nico pulled Will onto his chest, holding him close, swearing to never let him go.

Will was there, safe. 

They were safe.

They were out.


	24. Chapter 24

Nico sat in a chair, looking at Will sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed. He held his hand in both of his own, rubbing his thumb on the back of Will’s hand like they always did when the other was feeling down.

His loose curls that used to shimmer gold in the sunlight were now pale and faint. His skin was an unnatural blend of tan and a sickly pale green. He looked so fragile. With so many bruises and cuts, he looked like a cracked vase. If he fell, he would break to pieces. Just like Nico's heart when realizing how much his boyfriend went through, and all that because of him.

Nico let a tear fall down his cheek, raising Will’s hand to his lips and kissing it lightly, before giving it a gentle squeeze. He vowed he wouldn’t let go. So he stayed here. Not wishing to be anywhere else in the universe than right beside him.

A nurse opened the door gently, causing Nico to look around instinctively. He still thought that any minute, people would come barging through that door, forcing him back into that life.

“I’m sorry, I’ll come back later,” the nurse said, turning back to leave the room.

“No… No, it’s ok,” Nico mumbled, getting to his feet. His hands felt cold and empty without Will’s, but the shook of the feeling of dread. A feeling as if… if he didn’t stay right there beside him, holding his hand, something terrible would happen. It had happened before. Who was to say it wouldn’t happen again? 

He stood by and watched as the nurse measured Will’s vitals. A minute or so later, she looked up at him with a look of sympathy.

“I know it must be hard for you… seeing your… uh… partner? A partner like this, but it would be good for you to try and clear your head. Think about something else. Go home for a bit, sleep, go for a walk, talk to a friend or family…” she said in a caring voice

Nico nodded, but honestly couldn’t imagine himself doing any of those things. The closest thing he had to a home was Will’s apartment. He didn’t need reminding of the day he had lost Will. Sleep wasn’t an option either after all the coffee and red bulls he had drunk to keep himself awake by Will’s side. And going for a walk when he was trying to lie low until the rumor of his death spread? Not happening. As for friends and family, he had none… except Jason, and maybe Leo, if you counted someone who hugged you once for saving them from a life of crime, a friend.

And then it hit him. Will’s friends. Will’s classmates, coworkers, teachers… Will’s mom. His heart started beating in his chest as he scrambled towards the door.

“Yeah… yeah… I’ll go take a walk…” he said to the nurse as she looked at him with pity.

As soon as he was out of the room, he sprinted down the corridors of the hallway. It was lit by lights similar to those in that basement. The sounds of gunshots resonated in his head as memories of that might filled his head. He shook them away. 

What was it now… two weeks since Will had disappeared? Fuck, this was really bad.

He ran out of the hospital and hailed a cab, urgently giving the driver Will’s address. He might have had Naomi’s number on one of his many phones… or maybe he could look if Will had it written down anywhere since his phone had vanished along with him that day two weeks ago.

As the cab reached the apartment building, Nico paid hurriedly with the money he had inherited years ago from his mother and ran to the apartment building. Of course, it was locked. Nico growled in frustration, kicking the door. ‘What now?’ he thought.

The door was usually either unlocked or Will would come down to let him in. He looked at the name’s written on the doorbells, when he got the stupidest idea. 

He rang the doorbell of a “Ms. Chase”, Will’s next-door neighbor.

No answer.

He rang again. And again. And again.

“Who is this?! Do you even know what time it is?!?!” he heard a sleepy voice say. 

Nico hesitated a minute before doing possibly the stupidest thing he had ever done.

“Can you let me in??? My stupidass boyfriend is not picking up and hell if I’m going to let that bastard cheat on me! Ughhhh, I just can’t, I’m sorry for waking you up, but please. Could you do me a favor?” he said in the angriest tone he could muster.

Silence.

“Seriously dude?!?!” she said on the other side. 

“Seriously. Please,” Nico said. He had no idea how to make people cooperate without threatening them in some way. His people skills were never really that great but put together with being head of a mafia, he was completely useless in situations like this.

The girl groaned.

“You’re not going to let me be until I do, will you?” she asked bitterly, as though she was already resigned to the fact that she was going to have to find her keys, exit her apartment, walk down four flights of stairs, just so someone could go scream at their boyfriend and disturb the morning quiet.

“Uh… yes. I mean no. No, I’m not” Nico said awkwardly, before adding a “please.”

The other side went quiet and about three minutes later, a girl wearing pajamas, her blonde hair in a messy bun opened the door with the most hostile look on her face.

“Go ahead! Hope you fall on the stairs!” she said, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Uh… thanks?” Nico said before bounding up the stairs to Will’s apartment. He remembered the last time he was here and his heartbeat quickened. He suddenly had a terrible feeling that Will was in danger. He had to go back to the hospital to check. What was he thinking, leaving him alone there? What if…

What if someone paid the nurse to lure him out?

He stopped in the middle of the staircase, taking deep breaths. He had to go back. He ran back down the staircase. He was just about to go past the girl who had let him in, then she put out a hand to stop him.

“No. You did not just wake me up at five in the morning. Make me go all the way downstairs and not even talk to this guy,” she said. Nico couldn’t believe her. What the hell was it to her?! She was up now anyway, the damage was done, so it really didn’t matter-

“UP. NOW,” she said so forcefully, Nico almost took a step back. She looked like she hadn’t slept properly for weeks. Probably another college student. Definitely not someone to mess with.

“Fine,” Nico said in a cold growl that would send most people running, but the girl just stood there, arms at her hips, looking unimpressed. Nico rolled his eyes and marched back up the stairs with her at his heels.

Nico stopped in front of the door, waiting for her to pass him by and go back into her apartment, but she stood there, arms crossed over her chest.

“Do you mind?” Nico said nastily. He didn’t know how he could possibly explain to her why he was about to break into his boyfriend's place when he wasn’t even there.

“This… This is where he lives?” she said, a sudden softness in her voice.

Nico looked at her uneasily, rubbing his hands together anxiously. Did she know something? “Uh… yeah…?” he said cautiously.

He watched, bewildered, as her eyes filled with tears.

“He… He’s been missing for two weeks. The police have been here, no trace of a fight or anything… he just… disappeared. I didn’t know him that well… my boyfriend Percy… he said he would never do something like that. His mother has been calling me non-stop, trying to reach him somehow. They’ve been trying to reach you… Oh god… I can’t believe it… I can’t believe you didn’t know… I can’t believe you’re here. You must be Nico,” she said. Tears started flowing down her cheeks somewhere along telling the story. 

Nico felt sick.

The girl put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged away from her, staring blankly at the ground.

“I need to talk to her. I need to talk to Naomi,” Nico said, his voice choked. 

“I…” the girl said as if making a list of all the pros and cons of doing as he said. Finally, she nodded. “Ok. Come with me…” she said, leading him into her apartment.

Unlike Will’s cozy, crowded living room, the girl’s apartment was organized and everything matched, except for a plush Nemo toy on the couch and a large pack of blue jelly beans on the counter, everything was in its place. Unlike Will’s anatomy books and papers, spread across his table and the floor, what looked like Architecture textbooks were sorted neatly in their bookshelves. It was like a whole other world behind only a thin little wall.

“So… phone…” she said, running to her bedroom quickly, while Nico stood awkwardly at the entrance. She was back in a matter of seconds, Namoni’s contact info already on the screen. Nico took the phone from her hand cautiously, taking a deep breath and dialing the number.

His vision got more and more blurry with every beep that he heard while waiting for her to pick-up. He felt like a million years had gone by before he heard rustling on the other line. He almost cried in joy.

“Annabeth  
, is everything alright?” he heard Naomi’s sleepy voice.

“Hi, Mrs. Solace. It’s me... Nico,” he said, his voice cracking. Annabeth looked down at her feet and walked over to the tiny kitchen to make some coffee.

There was silence.

“Nico?” she asked, her morning voice filled with disbelief.

“Yes,” he said, trying hard not to cry as he thought about her son, lying unconscious in a hospital. And she didn't even know.

“Oh god. Oh thank god…” she said, and he could hear her sobbing. “Oh I thought I would never hear from you again…” she said. “Do… do you know where my son is?” she asked through a combination of laughter and sobbing.

And that’s when Nico started crying as well. He couldn’t imagine being in her shoes, not knowing anything. He really did hurt everyone around him.

“Yes. Yes, he’s in the hospital, I’m so so sorry... “ Nico said. He couldn’t lie to her, not like this. 

“He… He’s alive?” she asked if she didn’t want to believe it could be true.

“Yes,” Nico said once more

His eyes were full of tears and a broken smile appeared on his lips as he heard Naomi cry with relief. 

"I can’t thank you enough,” she said when she calmed down a bit. “I was so worried… I couldn’t stop thinking… Oh God, I can’t even say it. He’s alright…. Thank you so much” she said sniffling and letting out a weak little laugh.

Nico stayed quiet. Contemplating everything. He was done with the Casa Nostra. All he wanted to do was move on. But he didn’t want to hide this. Not from Naomi. Not after what had happened to Will.

“Don’t. Don’t thank me,” Nico said, his body shaking from stifled sobs.

“Honey-” Naomi started saying in a caring voice, but Nico couldn’t hear her telling him it wasn’t his fault, thanking him… 

“No… Please… I- It’s complicated. I…” Nico looked around at Annabeth, who was looking at his curiously, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Is he… is he not going to be okay?” she asked in almost a whisper.

“No, no! That’s not… it’s just… he’s fine, but don’t thank me… I’m really sorry,” Nico said, furiously blinking away his tears.

Naomi stayed quiet for a moment. "I’m sure you have nothing to apologize for, Nico. You can tell me everything when I get there. I want to see Will. I’m on my way,” she said, before hanging up. Nico’s heart started pounding in his chest at the thought of facing her, after everything he had inflicted upon Will… 

He realized how much of the picture he had been missing, focusing solely on getting Will back… Maybe it was because he had no one that would notice or care if he disappeared… except Hazel. But even she didn’t know who he really was.

Will wasn't like that. He had friends, family…. They all must have been worried to death forpoew0][4 nmhj7y two whole weeks. 

Two weeks.

Will had been gone for two weeks.

The tears flew back again to his eyes. Two weeks of mistreatment, of torture, of despair… How could he have let that happen?

He thought that maybe if he really loved Will, he would have stayed away. Keeping him safe from the Casa Nostra and everything that came with it.

What kind of people would get their boyfriends kidnapped? 

He knew it was true. He shouldn’t have listened to Will that night he found out, he shouldn’t have fallen irreversibly in love with him, he shouldn’t have met Naomi, he shouldn’t have fallen asleep next to him, he shouldn’t have kissed him time and time again, he shouldn’t have gone out with him. He shouldn’t have returned to that coffee shop.

But he had. And this is where the best thing that ever happened to him landed Will.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and he quickly turned around, reaching for a knife that was no longer there. It was just the girl. Annabeth.

“Would you mind explaining?" she sounded extremely confused.

Nico didn't answer. He was shaking silently.

He didn't remember much after that, only that he managed to teleport onto the couch, a blanket and a mug of steaming hot chocolate magically appearing and awkward comforting words. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even remember Annabeth greeting her boyfriend, some Perry dude.

He didn't even try to follow the conversation. He knew he wouldn't be able to understand their words.

The reality he tried to avoid all his life hit him as soon as it was about to be part of the past.

He was a mafia leader. So many people were killed because of his doings. So many families got torn apart, he had ruined so many futures.

He squeezed the warm cup and shut his eyes, wanting everything to go away, including these unnaturally kind strangers.

“Uh… Nico right? Hey dude, are you ok?” the guy said. When Nico didn’t answer for a good minute, not even opening his eyes, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I know it’s a stupid thing to ask, I don’t know why I did, of course,20'  
you’re not, I mean Will is in the hospital. Like I only knew him as a mutual friend but even I was freaking out! It’s j-” but he stopped rambling with a hiss of pain.

“Shut up, Percy,” Annabeth whispered as Percy rubbed his smacked head, looking sheepish and smiling guiltily.

Annabeth sighed and sat down next to Nico. Not too close for him to be uncomfortable, but not too far to give the impression that he was unwelcomed. 

“Though I only heard one side of the conversation, I think I gathered at least some information on what is going on. Look… I know that this must be really hard for you, but it’s always better to talk. I’m sure Will wouldn’t want you to feel like this is your fault. Awful things like this happen and it’s terrible, But you can’t blame yourself for it,” she said.

Nico just breathed in and out deeply a few times before looking her right in the eyes. “But it is my fault, It’s one hundred percent my fault. I shouldn’t have let him… it’s just… I thought… I should have made him stay away. I suppose it doesn’t matter now. But I’m sick of lying, and blaming everything on others,” Nico said, the last few words so quiet he doubted Annabeth could even hear them.

Percy looked at Annabeth, bewildered, but she ignored him, looking back at Nico as if she was scanning him. She took in everything from his undercut black hair to his black sneakers.

“Nico…” she said compassionately.

"Look, I don’t know what happened, but what you’re saying… It doesn't make sense. It really doesn’t. You didn’t force him to do anything that might have led to this accident, so it can’t be your fault.” Percy reasoned.

“I didn’t force him, but that doesn’t mean it’s not my fault,” Nico said in a bitter lifeless tone. He wanted to go. He wanted to make sure Will was okay. That he was safe. But he had to wait here for Naomi for god knows how long with these people trying to convince him he wasn’t a bad person. The corner of his mouth twitched at the thought of how they would react if they knew who he really was.

But it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that Will was safe… and Nico was finally done with all of this.


	25. Chapter 25

Waiting for Naomi to arrive was the most agonizing hour of Nico’s life. Annabeth tried making small talk with him, but he just wasn’t in the mood. Not that he normally was, but his anxiety was spiking as he counted every second away from Will.

A few times, he almost got up and left, needing to check that Will was still in the hospital. That nothing had happened, but the thought of leaving Naomi hanging after everything he had caused made him shudder. He didn’t want to be that person anymore. 

When she finally arrived, Nico had to stop himself from crying from relief.

“Oh Nico, it’s really you… I thought… oh god…” she said as she hugged him close. He felt like he didn’t deserve her pure motherly affection, but nevertheless, he hugged her back, glad to have her there.

After a warm greeting with Annabeth, they made their way downstairs. Annabeth drove them to the hospital, and the entire way there, a nervous silence filled the car, interrupted only by the surrounding traffic. 

As they entered the hospital, Nico kept his head down, not wanting to risk being recognized. They checked in and made their way towards Will’s room. Annabeth stepped back when they reached the corridor leading up to Will’s hospital room.

“I… think this where I’ll leave you guys. You probably have a lot of things to discuss,” she said, smiling at them both sadly. Naomi shook her head in agreement and Nico just kept his gaze fixed on a place right over Annabeth’s shoulder.

“Thank you for everything, I cannot tell you how grateful I am,” Naomi said.

“Of course. It was so nice getting to know you. If you ever need anything, or just need to talk… well… you are an amazing mother. Now go. I can see that you can’t wait to see him,” Annabeth said, giving Naomi a short hug, before stepping aside, looking a bit uncomfortable, waving to Nico, and walking away.

Naomi turned to look at Nico, who gestured down the corridor. He thought he was ready to come clean, but now that the perfect opportunity presented itself, he had no idea how to even start the conversation.

When they reached the door, Naomi stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath.

“I… before I go in there… I know it's a lot to ask of you, but is there any chance you would be comfortable telling me what happened. I just… I don’t think I will be able to handle it if he… Well… I just don’t know what to expect,” she said, searching his face for answers.

A whirlwind of lies and excuses stormed through Nico’s head, but he pushed them down.   
“Of course,” he said, lifting his hand to gesture at nothing in particular before clenching his fist and putting his hand back down. “Of course,” he repeated. “Um… well…”

He was panicking, every instinct he had told him to run. Never tell anyone about anything, but as Naomi's reassuring brown eyes looked at him expectantly. He knew it was now or never.

“I’m… Nico di Angelo,” he said plainly. He had the tunnel vision of a drunk person and his body started to shake ever so slightly as he saw Naomi’s eyes widen as she took a step back.

“You…” she breathed, her expression turning steadily from comfort to shock to horror. 

Nico opened his mouth again helplessly, his breathing getting quicker and quicker until he could barely breathe. For the first time in his life, the reality of it all struck him, and he was cracking under the pressure. The gunshots, the bodies, his family, the threats and the lies and the endless spirals he had somehow clawed himself out of…

“Did he know?” Naomi asked, voice so low Nico could barely hear it.

Nico stared at her helplessly. 

Breathe, he told himself, but all he could do was nod and gesture.

She looked at him with something between fear and pity, before guiding him gently towards a bench in the corridor. He sat down and tried to gain control over himself, despite his walls crumbling all around him, leaving him exposed, vulnerable, and very much afraid.

“I… I told,” he said, his hands visibly shaking in his lap. “At first, I didn’t want to suck him into anything,” he said faintly, trying to keep his voice level. “So I only told him when I was sure I would never see him again, he... deserved an explanation,” Nico said while Naomi just stared at him. “But he just… he didn’t want to let me go, and I was stupid. I believed him when he said it didn’t matter,” he said, his voice was shaky now.

“And then everything happened so quickly… I can’t even imagine everything that he has been through because of me the last few days-” but Naomi cut him off.

“Why?” she asked. “Why would you choose a life like this, and endanger innocent people? Whether unintentionally or… God,” she said, her voice dropping to barely a whisper when a young lady walked by, but Nico heard every word perfectly.

His heart sank and he felt as though he had been punched right in the gut, only a million times worse.

“I never wanted any of this, although I know that… I know that does make anything better,” Nico said.

Naomi narrowed her eyes as she took him in. His desperate look, his slightly shaking body, and his frightened posture. She sighed.

“I… Is everything I thought I know about you a lie?” she asked helplessly.

Nico contemplated the question. “More like a twisted truth,” he said miserably. Naomi’s silence urged him to continue. 

“When… When I was little, we lived in a small little apartment, illegal immigrants, barely able to afford food and heating,” he started saying, and as he continued, he could feel the knot in his chest unwinding, his entire being relaxing. “I think the breaking point was when my sister got pneumonia and my parents couldn’t afford or dare to her to the doctor, scared they would be asked for IDs they couldn’t provide. So, my dad took a risk. He asked around a bit and got a sketchy job delivering strange packages. It started, just to support us, but once you get in, you never get out. And soon, we had enough money to buy a proper apartment. Dad stopped delivering, and made contacts with some of his ‘coworkers’, offering better deals and lending money. These deals spread like a disease until it overtook every aspect of our family’s life.”

Nico took a deep breath, willing himself to say what came next.

“He had a lot of enemies. People he had made angry. A lot of people suffered due to him and the only way to hurt someone so powerful was by attacking their weak point. Us. After a few failed attempts, my mother was about to call it quits. I heard them fighting… We were going to lead a normal life…” he said, tears starting to well up in his eyes. He steadies himself, looking right into Naomi’s eyes.

“She was twelve when the Niente Da Vedere Lì took my sister,” he said, letting his statement sink in. Naomi’s eyes widened. 

“My mother was determined to save her when my father prioritized the Casa Nostra over the life of his only daughter. They… never came back.” Nico said, staring at his hands, now laying still on his thighs.

“Nico…” Naomi said, and when he looked up at her, her eyes were filled with tears. Nico quickly looked away again. Tears were infectious.

“No one but my father to raise me, I mostly relied on myself. He had a few mistresses, but they were never more than a temporary source of slurs and manipulation. I planned on running away one day with a duffel full of money, but my father…” Nico laughed dryly, “He had carefully spun me into his web since I was a little boy. Everyone knew the face of Nico di Angelo, Hades’s heir. There was no escaping it. So I played along. I won’t lie to you anymore. I won’t paint a pretty picture of innocence. I did a lot of truly horrifying things as the leader of the Casa Nostra… But I never chose this path. I’m choosing my path now. And that path is to lead a normal life like I always wanted. I’m sorry I dragged you into any of this.”

Naomi looked at him, stuck somewhere between the urge to reassure him, hug him, and never let him go, and calling the police.

“Did you ever… Did you, ehm,” she said, unable to formulate her thoughts.

“I gave orders. Never to cause permanent damage unless necessary,” Nico said flatly.

Naomi looked a bit relieved, but still not convinced. “How are you so sure. How are you so sure that you will be able to… get out?” 

“Because I was murdered by a highly trusted agent from the Niente Da Vedere Lì, that I just happened to reconcile with,” Nico said, the corner of his lip twitching despite himself.

Naomi stared at him. “It’s just… a lot,” she said, looking in front of her.

Nico was willing to give her as much time as she needed, which, surprisingly, wasn’t that much.

“Nico. Are you… are you alright? I just… I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you, I was barely able to take it when Will was gone for a week…” she said, putting her hand on his reassuringly.

Nico hadn’t known what to expect. Terror, disgust, anger… definitely not compassion.

“I…” he said, voice shaking, “It’ll get better,” he said. Naomi squeezed his hand and looked over at the door to Will’s hospital room.

“I assume my son isn’t willing to give you up despite all this?” she said in a resigned voice. 

Nico’s heart fluttered a bit in his chest, a small smile creeping onto his face. Naom sighed.

“Well, I guess that makes two Solaces… Come here sweetie,” she said pulling him close. Nico let himself soak up the motherly affection for a bit, before slowly pulling away.

“If you ever feel uncomfortable around me, I will fully understand and neither of you ever have to see me again,” Nico added, but Naomi pretended like she hadn’t heard him, reaching a hand out to help him to his feet and walking towards the door.


	26. Chapter 26

Will woke up a few times, but it was only a haze of thirst, confusion, and blurry vision.

How he had gotten there, he didn’t know, and before he could even think about it, he drifted back to sleep.

• • •

Will opened his eyes once more, disoriented. He looked around the room.

Nico and his mom were sitting by his bed, looking exhausted. Will blinked at them. He had no idea what his mom was doing there, but he was so glad to see her. He wanted to tell her, but in his dreary state, all he managed was a groaned murmur. 

Nico’s eyes snapped to his immediately. Will felt a bubble of hope surge in his chest. Nico had kept his promise to get them out of all of it alive. Will used all his strength to lift his hand towards Nico. Nico took his hand cautiously and Will held onto it like it was the only thing keeping him from slipping away. 

“Hey,” he croaked, making Nico’s eyes fill with tears of relief.

“Hey blondie,” Nico said quietly, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Will turned his attention to Naomi, who was barely keeping herself together. “Hi, mom,” he said lamely. He couldn’t even imagine the shock all of this must have caused her. He felt terrible for a minute, but nothing could trump the giddy happiness that was spreading through him.

He knew it sounded stupid, but it was true and had been for quite a while now. He was completely in fucking love with Nico. He couldn’t even imagine his life without him anymore. In every scenario he played out in his head, Nico was there. His hidden smiles and sarcastic comments… And he was his, fully now.

Naomi’s eyes were watering as she looked at her son. 

“I’m so sorry, mom,” Will said sincerely. 

Naomi burst into tears and laughter, scooting closer, just to look at him properly.

“Oh, Will... “ she said, smiling at him and cupping his cheek as she used to when he was a little boy. “Will, you have nothing to apologize for. God, you are so brave… I can’t even imagine…” she said, her voice shaky, scanning his appearance.

Will didn’t look down at his arms. He didn’t want to know. Maybe if he couldn’t see the damage, it wasn’t even real. He didn’t know how much she knew, so he looked over at Nico with a questioning expression.

Nico didn’t respond, just smiled at him sadly, before taking a deep breath

“I’m the one that should be apologizing. Will. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, both of you. I will never be able to make this up to you, and I just…” Nico said, squeezing his eyes closed for a few seconds before opening them again and looking at him, as if for the first time.

“Oh god… I know what we said before, but I just... it’s so real now, and I just can’t risk anything like this ever happening to you again. And there will always be a risk with me…” Nico said, his eyes glistening with tears. Will listened to what he was saying, but he didn’t really understand what it was he was trying to tell him.

Nico looked over at Naomi, who opened and closed her mouth before looking down at her lap. Will started to feel anxious. What was going on?

“Will…” Nico said, his voice quivering. Will loved the way Nico said it, like a prayer, but right now, all he wished was that Nico stopped looking at him like that. Like he was letting go.

“I love you so much, you know that?” Nico said, so quietly Will barely heard him. His heart was pounding in his chest and there was a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Don’t do this,” Will whispered. He was starting to shake. All those futures… all those plans and hopes… snatched away from him just before he could grab them. 

Nico started crying silently, squeezing his hand. Will squeezed back, determined to never let go. 

“Will, it wouldn’t be fair to you. I couldn’t live with myself, knowing I was putting you in danger-”

“But you’re not,” Will said desperately. He could barely breathe. This was not happening.

Nico just looked at him, like he always did, eyes unreadable, dark, and entrancing. For the first time, Will hated it. As much as he searched for something, anything, he came back empty-handed.

“Nico, please.”

Naomi kept staring into her lap, Will looked at her desperately, looking for any kind of support.

“Please don’t do this. I don’t care. Ok? I’d go through that as many times as necessary if it meant I could be with you.”

Nico winced.

“That’s exactly it. I can’t let you be ok with this, or anything. Because it is so not ok. Will, I just can’t hold you to any of this, even if you want me to.”

Will stared at him, completely in shock. He knew he wasn’t angry, but it was better than facing whatever it was that was consuming him, ripping him apart from the inside. 

“Are you kidding??” he said quietly, “So you're telling me this is it? So everything you said just doesn’t mean anything to you? Am I really that expendable, that you can just fucking toss me aside?!?!” he didn’t know when, but he started yelling. His throat was hoarse and it was painful, but he didn’t care.

Nico’s eyes opened wide in horror and hurt. 

Good, Will thought. He wanted to make him hurt as much as he was hurting right now.

“No! Of course not! I just… I just… Don’t you get it?? I caused all of this. I hurt you, Will. You have to know that that will never just be ok!” he said desperately. He tried to take his hand away, but Will wouldn’t let go, couldn’t let go.

“You aren’t even going to try?” he whispered.

Nico stared at him in silence. It looked like he wanted to kiss him, or maybe slap him, Will couldn’t tell the difference. Nico was just about to answer when Naomi put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Nico… though I wish you were just some guy, and that all of this was some sick joke… well it’s not. But… I think that maybe… maybe this isn’t your decision to make. If you want to be with my son, be with him. You said it yourself, Nico di Angelo is dead. Maybe his guilt should be buried with him as well if that’s what Will wants.” Naomi said, looking around at Will with a small smile.

Will couldn’t even express how much he was grateful for her.

Nico considered her words, staring into his lap for a good five minutes. At long last, Nico looked up at Will. He felt Nico’s body untense as he spoke. Will rubbed the back of his hand caringly, wanting Nico to know that whatever would happen now, after what he said, he would never stop loving him.

“It’s up to you,” Nico said finally, defeated.

“Yes,” he said immediately, instinctively. 

It was strange how quickly tears could change their meaning. In a moment of clarity, his mother hugging him, mumbling loving words, and Nico’s hand still in his, he realized he hadn’t let go, and he never wanted to.


	27. Epilogue

“Mornin’ Angel” Will mumbled sleepily, wrapping his arms around Nico from the back while Nico made them omelets for breakfast, a Sunday tradition.

Nico leaned back against him, melting into his warmth.

“Hmm” Nico mumbled appreciatively as Will pressed a chaste kiss to his neck.

“You’re going to make me burn breakfast, dumbass,” Nico teased, pushing him away playfully. Will groaned and slumped down at his tiny table.

“Oh yeah, like anything you make is going to turn out bad,” Will said sarcastically.

“It’s the Italian genes,” Nico said, shrugging innocently as he flipped the omelet flawlessly.

Will scoffed before getting up again with a groan. “Shall I make your favorite?” Will asked, gesturing to the coffee pot.

“Tall blond roast macchiato?” Nico muttered teasingly. 

“I’ll make you the best,” Will said, unnecessarily loud as he started to prepare the drink.

“Well… It does keep me up at night…” Nico said in an innocent voice, not even sparing Will a glance.

“Someone’s flirty today…” Will said, laughing a bit, looking over at Nico, but Nico looked back at him with a tense and nervous expression. “Hey… everything ok?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah… it’s…” Nico said, gesturing incoherently. 

Will smiled, his boyfriend was adorable.

Nico cleared his throat. “I made a promise to you, exactly six years ago. I think it meant more than either of us even realized at the time, and… we made it. through fucking mafia wars and all the imprints it had on us… We made it through separation, getting my degree, med school stress, nightmares, annoying the crap out of each other at times, stress, fights… all of it. We made it through. And… I, uh… well I never want to stop. Making it through. With you. I want all of it… of you… forever,” Nico said rubbing his hands together nervously.

Will knew exactly what was happening, but he was willing to play dumb.

“Mmhm?” Will said, a smile stretching across his face, standing right in front of Nico and taking his hands in his own.

“I… uh… I wanted to ask…” Nuci mumbled, pausing to pull himself together.

“Nico?” Will asked gently.

“Huh?” he said distractedly, looking up at Will.

“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

“I… uh… that depends on what you think I’m asking…?”

Will laughed, shaking his head, “How about I tell you something too?”

“That would be good,” Nico said, still a total mess.

“So, about ten years ago, this really annoying customer came into my work every morning-”

“Will you marry me?” Nico blurted out, making Will freeze mid-sentence.

“Uh… yes?” Will said.

Nico laughed nervously.

“Yes. Oh god, yes. Yes, yes, yes,” Will said when his brain finally processed everything.

Nico was ecstatic, jumping into Will’s arms, kissing him like they were the last two people on Earth. Even after all these years, kissing Nico still gave him the same rush, the same sense of peace, yet urgency at the same time, taking each other apart bit by bit. Nico pulled himself closer, hovering, their lips brushing against each other, breath mingling. Nico nuzzled to his neck, hugging him tightly. 

Will pulled him ever closer. “Your omelet is burning,” he whispered with a grin.

Nico jumped back quickly, cursing. He quickly turned off the stove and unceremoniously dumped the blackened omelet onto a plate. He focused his attention on Will once more and pulled him in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God, this was so much fun to write, I really hoped you enjoyed it. I just had to write a mafia AU after reading AFTG... Let me know if you want some sort of domestic Solangelo spinoff because writing the epilogue was too much cuteness for me to handle XD  
> Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you let me know what you thought, or maybe what I should write next.  
> Thank you so much for suffering through my 3 AM, delirious writing, and thank you again to my friend for helping me with this. <3


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